Rebel's Stand
by User user
Summary: UP FOR ADOPTION:Sequel to Life, My Battlefield! Humans don't want mutants breathing the same air as them. They've formed a group called Human Race Survival Corpse, where they try to eliminate any organism with "impure" DNA. The Flock and The Migration have gone global, making top headlines for almost two decades now, but they're being threatened by this new group.*UP FOR ADOPTION!*
1. Prologue

**Ch.1: Prologue**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"You're dead, freak." His words were ice cold, like a steel knife slicing through my scarred skin. I might have come in time to save her, but my life was a different story. My jaw was set, along with my mind. To survive you have to make sacrifices. I hope this one makes up for my mistakes, but knowing how wrong and cruel I've been I know that this simple action is not enough to give me a halo and a set of pure, white wings. At least I will die with my pride. At least I'll die doing a noble deed. At least my family won't scoff, or deny my name any longer.

His arm raised with a quick, fluent movement, like what he was doing was just and natural. In his hand was a killer, a handgun, a shiny, cheap gun bought and sold illegally, most likely. It glistened, bringing back memories of my past. The bars. The guns. Their fangs.

The bullet left the gun in a second. In one second, one pull of a trigger, my life was laid before me. The lead burned hot in the air. It tore through three feet of distance between us before coming to a stop directly under my heart. It scraped past my ribs and broke through an artery. Screams echoed around me. It was too late; I was going to die. I happened to twist his arm back to where he shot himself on the second fire.

I came crashing down, to my knees first, then I was withering in a pathetic mound on the gym floor. My body came to rest beside the cooling corpse of the shooter. My blood poured and stained the polished, sneaker scuffed floor. Hands pressed against the wounds, but I was too far gone. People were shouting around me, but in my mind all was calm. My sweet serenity is death. Sad world that I've created, filled to the brim with crumbling walls and harsh words.

My head lolled and my eyes rolled. My heart hammered in my chest as my limbs went limp and I stilled. One last breath entered my lungs, and one last exhale left my lips. I closed my eyes and balled my fists, ready to join the shooter in hell...

_•••_

Whoa! Slow down. Let me start from the beginning.

_•••_

"Rebel!" Alice cried as she raced down the hall.

_Not now!_ I begged in my mind. _Please not now!_

"Babe, I totally found out that they are going to have free drinks at the party later today. We have to go now. Besides, I already heard that the other's are going, and that flirt from homeroom is going to wear the same skirt I wore to Ashley's party! Not fair! I need you to take me so we can show them who's in charge. What time are you picking me up?" She talks as much as Nudge. Alice has been my girlfriend since the begging of 12th grade. She's a bit of a snob, and defiantly an idiot, but her appearance makes up for that.

Gwen and Kale tell me I'm shallow to go for just looks. I prefer to say that I'm just an eighteen year old boy searching for something appealing to gawk at. Don't get me wrong, Alice is great and all, but it will probably never work out. Then again, she has been trying to fit into my life, and she treats me like I'm more than a mutant. She's helped me become popular. At least I have a lot of friends at school now, maybe too many.

"Sorry, but I can't go," I sighed.

"But...why?!" She demanded an answer then and there. I could tell she was ticked off by the way her eyes flicked and her jaw set. She even brushed some of her perfectly curled hair from her face and propped a hand on her hip.

"Gwen wants me to go with her to a reunion." I shrugged it off. That seems genuine enough, right?

"You and your _stupid_ family!" thundered Alice, "You are always with them! Have you ever considered spending Christmas with _me_, just this once? I bought a new outfit that will make your jaw drop."

Tempting, _very_ tempting.

"I haven't seen my..." I stumbled on the word, not knowing what to call Ava and Eva. "My _friends_ in a while. It's been almost five years. They miss me."

"Well you're going to be missing out on something too!" Alice threatened. "Please at least spend some of the holiday break with me! Between your family and your excessive training I never get to talk to you!"

"You should like my training, it gives me abs and muscles," I joked.

"That's true. I guess you are pretty sexy, _if _you can overlook the wings."

By this time we had reached the sidewalk that led away from the high school. I wouldn't have to come back to the building for another three weeks, although it never seemed like a real, snow covered Christmas here in California, not like the ones I spent with the Ride's back when I was younger. This year Kale and Gwen were taking me back to the little house that lay hidden in the woods of Virginia. Ava and Eva would be thrilled.

"Bye, Rebel. Call me later, ok?" Alice wrapped her arms around my middle and hugged me like there was no tomorrow. I knew that deep down she would truly miss me, even if she could have any other guy at the flick of a wrist. But I could get any girl on command too, so I no longer felt fearful that I was going to be cheated on. I let my orange wings spread behind me without answering Alice. I've been told to never make promises; they're _always_ broken.

My fly home was boring, like usual, but I did get some thrill flying hundreds of feet above California effortlessly at top speed. I dove and came to a harsh landing, not bothering to slow down. I might need to do that one day if I break a wing in a fight, or I may just be paranoid. Kale warns me about that a lot. He says I'm to edgy, that I need to make friends, real friends, ones that don't follow me around like mob a school. In my book, connections are weaknesses that your enemy can use against you. I can't have weaknesses.

"Rebel! We're out back!" Gwen was standing in front of the van, throwing a suitcase on top of various other items. Then I remembered that we were going to visit and shook my head at their overabundant packing.

"Do you have to bring the whole house?" That was a ridiculous question for me to ask. The house was way to big. Four levels of nothing but pure, first-class appliances and only the best top-shelf luxuries. Why wouldn't it be? Gwen and Kale were on TV every other day. They were celebrities, and people paid millions to hear about the bird freaks. I, on the other hand, was a burden. Apparently the whole world wanted to see an avian baby. They wanted to see Ava and Eva, who, at the time when this all started, were no bigger than watermelons. When I was rescued by Flair, Jace, Alex, and Ice I was gingerly handed over to Gwen and Kale. They've raised me for eighteen years now, and have barely held onto their sanity because of it.

"I'm so excited! I can't believe it's been five years!" She squealed, her wings flapping behind her in pure glee. I could see the metal tips gleaming against her black feathers. I couldn't believe it had been five years either, quite honestly. Ava and Eva were my best friends for the first thirteen years of my life. They were almost my sisters. Max and Gwen kept us three very close. Same school, same house, same...everything. Then the day came where what was left of the wretched House of Despair came after the Epic. Again and again they tried to capture Ava and Eva. To this day we don't know who the Epic truly is, but that doesn't stop them. On one of their attempts they brought me in instead. My eyes were opened and my attitude changed. I haven't been the same since. Gwen and Kale were advised to stay away from Ava and Eva so that the cameras wouldn't find out where the twins were hidden, and maybe then the enemy wouldn't know either.

"Did you get my skateboard?" I questioned impatiently as she slammed the trunk closed.

"And your iPod, and your headphones, and your laptop, and your jeans, and-"

"Ok! I got it!" I snapped and sunk into the car, leaning my head back on the seat. Why do girls talk so much?! Gosh.

"KALE!" Gwen called. He came out out of the house, his pants around his ankles and his shirt unbuttoned. Some times I wonder if he's simple. He half waddled, half ran to the car and plopped down in the front with a frustrated grunt.

"Seriously?!" I thundered, wanting to get this long ride over with. Why couldn't we just fly like normal avian mutants I'll never know, but for some reason Gwen hasn't wanted to fly since the accident and now I have to pay for it. Great, just great!

Kale fixed his pants and buttoned his shirt, managing to only screw things up once by knocking us out of park. Some kids may say that rolling down your driveway is fun, and it probably would have been if you weren't at the top of a hill with a busy highway at the end of it! Thank God he remembered where the break was. By this time, Gwen was in the passenger's seat.

"Hurry, Kale! We'll be late!" She was smiling the most I had seen her do in a while, that wasn't fake, and it kept me from moaning from boredom. Right now on any normal day I would be going to the gym and working out, but no, I have to go see the stupid family. Ava and Eva probably don't even remember me.

"I can't believe it, Rebel!" Gwen laughed as she tossed me a piece of paper, "They said we could finally go visit! The labs are finished! Isn't this great?!"

No. I didn't see why it was so great.

"Yeah, Gwen. I'm thrilled. I'm missing out on the best Christmas party in history, I don't get to kiss my girlfriend on New Years, and-oh what was it?- I have to spend the whole freaking holiday with a bunch of old people!"

"We aren't old!" Kale defended, "I'm only thirty-two!"

"Going on four," I snorted.

"Rebel, what's with you?" Gwen frowned and looked back at me. I slumped in my seat and looked out the window.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," I grumbled, not meeting her eyes. Actually, there were a lot of things wrong with me: the wings, the fact that my brain calculates everything perfectly, and the little tweak of being able to practically take anyone down in a matter of thirty seconds.

"Hormones," Kale whispered to Gwen. Yeah, that's it. They blame everything on the fact that I'm a teenager. Apparently I do everything wrong. Who doesn't try to smoke a cigaret every now and then? Who doesn't accidentally get caught DUI every once in a while? Who doesn't get in trouble for skipping classes to go hide out at the skate park or the mall with their gang? Who doesn't throw a well deserved punch here and there? It's normal, right? It's just me being a kid. That's cool, right? It's not like I killed anyone.

_But you could have_, I think to myself. Then I realized that I could care less either way. I don't really feel anything anymore, other than agitation, frustration, anger, hatred, and boredom. I used to feel, but once you're kidnapped by genetically engineered werewolves and put through torturous tests you become numb to the world. Either that, or you become an over paranoid, killing machine. I guess I'm a little of both.

Gwen began her annual storytelling. It started, like it always did, with her and Kale being thrown on a stage and people shouting bids. I knew how it would end, too. I had heard this story, the one of her life, so many times that I could say it along with her. By the time she had reached Dylan dying, I had put my headphones in and started looking through pictures. Most of them were of Alice, or the others that hung out with us after school in the alley ways. Then, I reached the very last picture. It was, unlike the others, not taken by myself.

At home there was a thick photo album filled to the last page with memorable pictures from over the years. Gwen's favorite was of Ava, Eva, and myself when we were no older than ten months. We were wearing onesies and each of us had a stuffed animal tucked under our arms. Our eyes were closed and one blanket was tucked over the three of us. I was in the middle with my mop of brown hair sticking oddly to the left from a rough sleep. Ava and Eva had little bows tied in their hair an each was snuggled up against my side, Ava with her thumb in her mouth, and Eva with her wings stretched out behind her. That picture made me feel...sad. Sad because I knew that the relationship we once had would always be severed. Sad because I secretly missed them with every fiber of my being. Sad because when Gwen looks at it tears spring in her eyes. The next was of me and Eva smearing frosting on each other's face at her sixth birthday. The last one I remembered was when we were thirteen, the day before I was taken back and changed for good. In the last photo it was only me and Ava. I was laying on the couch in only my swimming trunks and Ava curled up with her head on my chest. She was asleep, and so was I, yet Eva took the picture anyway. How it got on my iPod, I'll never know, but it probably had something to do with Gwen. The memory held too much for me to study the picture to long, and I threw my iPod to the floor with a great effort. I sat with my arms crossed, shaking my head and trying to forget.

"And then the report came on the TV, and I stood with as much courage as I could muster in front of that microphone and announced my opinions on the subject. It turns out that Kale had his zipper down the whole time, and became the laughing stock of the world. People never forgot that day, and neither would I, because that's what pushed us down this path. That's when fame swept us away from our old life. Then it ends, and a new page was turned." Gwen concluded the story and closed her eyes, savoring something. What that something was, is unclear to me. Maybe it was the feeling of childhood. Maybe it her feeling of security in her family group. Or maybe she was just closing her eyes to keep tears in. Maybe she missed those days, the days where she spent every waking moment with her family. Did she miss her past?

When I was younger, and was spending the night at Max's while Kale and Gwen were gone on business, I heard her tell Fang about how she missed being The Flock's mother. I knew that I shouldn't have heard that, but it made me realize that family and trust was important to this group. I never confronted Max on the subject. I started to notice that she took great pride in Angel's accomplishments in the political field, and Gazzy's awards of being promoted to being one of the president's bodyguards. When Nudge had her two children Max almost cried, and when Iggy and Ella said their "I do"'s she had a smile ten miles wide. She was also a really experienced mother with Ava and Eva. It was like she had done it before, which she probably had with Angel. Then she had Blane seven years later. Nichole, who is now four, was her last, and gave her a steady six members with the last name of Ride. It was almost like her Flock. Lets just say Max really likes the number six.

"Rebel?" Gwen poked me.

"What is with you! Can't you understand the phrase 'leave me alone'?!" I growled.

Her lips turned to a thin line and then she replied with a, "I just wanted to tell you goodnight."

The sky outside had turned dark and I knew that Kale and Gwen would soon switch places so we could drive through the night and get to Virginia sooner. I felt guilty for snapping at her like that, but I just rolled my eyes in response and rested my head against the window, the cool glass sending shivers through my arms. This car ride was going to take forever.

I fell asleep, waiting for the next gruesomely terrible day, wondering how many miles I was going to be pulled away from the love of my life. Little did I know that I might have been drawing nearer to her every rotation of the wheels.

* * *

**Five reviews and I'll update on Monday!**

**Oh, and here's the ages(please note that some of the characters haven't come into play yet): **

_•GWEN:32 KALE:32 REBEL:18_

_•EBONY:34 STORM:34 HOLLY:10_

_•SELENE:33 RYAN:32 PETER: 12  
_

_•FLAIR:31 ICE:31 COLE: 13 SAPPHIRE:13  
_

_•JACE:31 ALEX:31 DEMI:11  
_

_•MELEE:27  
_

_•LUCY :27  
_

_•JESTER:25 SYLVIA:26 BETHANY:2_

_•MAX:36 FANG:36 EVA:18 AVA:18 BLANE:11 NICOLE:4_

_•IGGY:36 ELLA:35 LANI:12_

_•NUDGE:34 HILLBILLY:35 KRYSTAL:12  
_

_•GAZZY:31  
_

_•ANGEL:29  
_

_•MOON:30_

_•NIGHT:39 GLOOM:39 GREY:12_

_•DRAKE:31  
_


	2. A Phone Call From Friends

**Ch.2: A Phone Call From Friends **

_Rebel's P.O.V._

_"Rebel!" A voice cried. I recognized it as Gwen's and ran towards it. I didn't know why I had such a yearning to draw close to my motherly figure, all I knew was that I needed her, desperately. My feet padded against the hardwood coating the floor down the hall. I recognized this place as my old home, one of many. The hallway seemed to never end as I pushed myself to go faster. And finally I had reached the door. My hand wrapped around the doorknob, but it was much smaller than I remembered. My line of vision had dropped a few feet, too. I was shorter. I was reliving a memory within a nightmare. On impulse, I threw the door open and raced over to where Gwen lay crumbled in the corner of her room. I tripped over something on my way there. As I fell I glanced back and noticed that the something was Kale. A very torn to shreds Kale. By the time I had regained myself and brought my feet under me again, Gwen was screaming. A paw wrapped around my throat and my heart pounded._

_"They aren't here!" Gwen cried in exasperation. A cold laughter came from another beast who held me._

_"Run Rebel!" Gwen ordered. But I couldn't, nor wouldn't leave Gwen there. She was my guardian, my mother. She had given me everything, as far as I was concerned. How could I run from this? How could I turn and leave Gwen and the baby sitting in the line of danger? And then I shook my head. I had lived this before. This had already happened. This was a dream. I could wake up. I would _wake up.

"No!" I roared and bolted up straight in my seat. Someone gasped from the front seats and the car was jerked to the shoulder. Kale was driving again, and he slammed on the breaks and made my whole body fly forward. By the time we were still I had caught my breath and regained my former composure of calm, cool, and collected.

"What was that?!" Gwen shouted as she spun in her seat to look back at me.

"Nothing," I lied.

"You had the dream again, didn't you?" She asked solemnly. I sighed and nodded, hanging my head slightly.

"It's not your fault..." She began like always.

"Yes, it is Gwen!" I spat hastily, fists curling, "Why did I run? Why couldn't I have done something? Why is it that I wake up every day and feel that her death was my fault?"

Gwen sat for a moment in silence and I saw her bite her lip as she turned her back on me. That dream was practically haunting me. I've been having it since the accident. I've been having it since I was thirteen years old, and I can never grip the concept that I was _afraid_. What a coward I was, running from the scene and leaving an eight month pregnant Gwen alone to fend for herself.

"You did do something. You did what I told you to," she said, her voice quivering. I knew she was crying, and it made my blood boil more. In my mind I lash out at myself for my cowardice on a daily basis. By the time Max and Fang got there to stop the attack, Gwen had already lost the baby. It was a girl, and they named it Hope. The name was engraved on the despairing stone placed at the head of her grave. I saw no hope in the situation. From my position there was no hope. That night I had been taken by the Erasers. Turns out, I can't run to darn fast. They caught me, and took me to the labs. I was poked and prodded. Torture was my punishment.

I deserved it.

Look what I had done. I knew that my family was searching for me. They wouldn't find me, I knew that too. So I escaped myself. It took some thinking, about a year's worth, before I finally went free. But I came out a new person, and I've been this new person ever since. _Coward_ is no longer in my vocabulary, but _guilt_ was added.

"It was my fault too, Rebel. I shouldn't have passed out so easily," Kale explained. We were back on the road, and this time the sound of some song blaring on the radio was accompanied by Gwen's sniffles.

•••

We had been driving for a while, who knows how long, when Kale pulled into a little convenient store's parking lot. This would all be normal, if we hadn't stopped at one ten minuets ago.

"Why are we stopping? Did you forget how to drive? Move your-" Before I could finish that sentence my phone rang. I glanced down and noted that it was a number that I have never seen before. That usually meant a sales call, or some freak who I don't know deciding to call me and waste my time. I made no effort whatsoever to answer it, instead I looked up at Kale with a continue glare of frustration at the sudden stop. I found him grinning.

"Answer it!" Gwen hurried. I groaned and complied. I was greeted with loud screams on the other end.

"Put it on speaker!" Kale barked. Again, I followed orders. The screams ceased to giggles.

"H-Hello?" I mumbled cautiously.

"REB!" Two feminine yelps echoed throughout the van.

"Who is this?" I looked to Gwen and Kale, who were seething with happiness. A discontent sigh came from my phone.

"It's me, Eva, dummy!"

"And Ava."

My blood ran cold. Eva and Ava?! On my phone?! I had almost forgotten the sound of their voices.

"Cool," came my usual, bored reply.

"'Cool'," mocked Ava, trying to copy my deeper tone.

"Did you hit puberty? You sound different. Do you look different? I bet you do. Do you still have to wear glasses? Do you still wear basketball shorts? Do you wear deodorant now? I hope so. Remember that time when..." There went Eva.

"Eva, shut up. Let the boy speak," Ava grumbled.

"The deep, husky, manly _boy_," Eva teased. I could almost imagine her smirk. My cheeks turned hot and Kale laughed at me.

"Freaks," I replied simply.

"You're starting to sound like Dad, Rebel." Like Ava had room to talk. I am nothing like Fang. That old timer hates me.

"Did you miss us? Do you have a girlfriend? Is she blond? You always liked blonds. I heard that Californian girls are gorgeous. I wish I was from there. But this place is cool, too. How tall are you?" Gosh, Eva really knew how to make things awkward.

I said nothing, to their disappointment.

"Aunt Gwen!" Eva whined.

"Yeah?" Gwen chuckled.

"Why isn't he talking?"

"Because he's afraid he'll lose his whole macho mojo."

"Is he hot?"

"No, dear. It's Rebel."

My jaw dropped. "That's not true!"

"That got him talking," Ava snorted. I glared at the phone, hoping the gesture would reach her through the device.

"How much longer until you get here?" Ava asked.

"Just a little while," Gwen said slyly.

"Blane is practically dying! He misses you guys so bad!" Eva stated.

Blane. He's pretty awesome. I haven't seen him since he was four, but I remember that he had dark brown hair and brown eyes. I didn't bother to look at pictures when Max would send them to Gwen, but I'm pretty sure that the kid couldn't have changed that much. I also knew that Max had another daughter named Nichole.

Why did I know so little about the Ride family? I refused to let myself fall weak again. The best way to forget about what happened was to remove myself from anything that could cause me to react like that again. I never answered any calls Ava or Eva sent me, never read their emails, mail, or texts, and I never looked at any pictures. They eventually stopped trying to reach me. And then today happened.

"I gotta go, guys," I muttered.

"No! Not yet, Rebby!" Eva pleaded. I hit _end_, which made Gwen frown.

"What?" I looked at her with a blank expression.

"Please be nice to them. They really do miss you," she sighed.

"I know."

"You, my boy, are what we like to call a PARTY POOPER!" Kale yelled as he pulled out of the parking lot. That's not what my friends say. Well, maybe because I've never gone to a party and denied myself of a drink, or two. Maybe I am a bit hateful when I'm sober.

* * *

**Thank you all for reviewing/following/favoriting! :D**

**To Tobymydog: Rebel's attitude won't change for a while. I'm trying to spice it up a bit and not make the narrator all sunshine-optimistic-cheery like. **

**If I get 2 reviews I'll UPDATE TOMORROW! **

**Up next for the next chapter: Meeting the next generations and reading the group's history.**


	3. Family

_Here's the ages again: _

_•GWEN:32 KALE:32 REBEL:18_

_•EBONY:34 STORM:34 HOLLY:10_

_•SELENE:33 RYAN:32 PETER: 12  
_

_•FLAIR:31 ICE:31 COLE: 13 SAPPHIRE:13  
_

_•JACE:31 ALEX:31 DEMI:11  
_

_•MELEE:27  
_

_•LUCY :27  
_

_•JESTER:25 SYLVIA:26 BETHANY:2_

_•MAX:36 FANG:36 EVA:18 AVA:18 BLANE:11 NICOLE:4_

_•IGGY:36 ELLA:35 LANI:12_

_•NUDGE:34 HILLBILLY:35 KRYSTAL:12  
_

_•GAZZY:31  
_

_•ANGEL:29  
_

_•MOON:30_

_•NIGHT:39 GLOOM:39 GREY:12_

_•DRAKE:31_

* * *

**Ch.3: Family**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"OH MER GAWSH!" That was never something that I expected to hear coming from a thirty-two year old's mouth. But then again, Gwen was far from average.

We pulled into the driveway, and I immediately realized that the whole gang was here. From The Flock to The Migration, everyone stood in a exhilarated row across the driveway. Kale put us in park for one final time and we bolted out of the wretched van, only to be swept into a crowd. People were shouting, and I was being hugged in no time. Most of the people were attacking Gwen and Kale. I guess we have had a long absence. For their safety, we couldn't visit anyone. Apparently we would put the entire family in danger if we were caught. At least they finally decided it was time to come out of hiding.

"You are tall! I knew it!" Eva had her arms wrapped around my middle and was squeezing me with her all her strength.

"Please let go of me." I grunted as I pried her arms off, only to see her face covered in delight.

"Don't kill him, yet." Ava was joking, like usual, or I hope she was.

"Rebel? You've...grown," Max said as she made her way through people. I shrugged.

"What happened to your jeans?" Blane came forward, too. I almost didn't recognize him. I looked down at my ripped jeans.

"Nothing."

"Looks like an Eraser got a hold of you." He commented.

"Maybe."

"Bully!" A little girl cried as she crossed her arms. She had her black hair tied up in pigtails. Her eyes were practically black and she was pouting over something.

"Who's a bully, Nichole?" Max sighed heavily as she straightened her daughter's bows.

"Everyone who's taller than me! I can't see over their fat heads!" She griped as she stuck out her bottom lip. Yep, I'm pretty sure Nichole is a mini Max.

"ZOMG! Look at you!" Nudge screamed from somewhere in the crowd. I scanned each face, trying to remember who was who.

The first face I spotted was Storm's. He was happy, I could tell. I scrounged through my mind for all that I remembered about Storm. He was the leader of The Migration. He also had a wife, Ebony, and their daughter Holly. Holly stood in front of her father, her brows bunched and her dark blue eyes taking in everything, like Storm. She was wearing a black dress and black boots. Her hair was a, well, ebony with blue dyed tips. Holly can control water, like Storm, and can sometimes grow claws. She's deathly dangerous for a ten year old.

Then, there was Jace and Alex, pulling along an energetic Demi. Her light brown hair was put up in a pony tail. She had violet eyes that shown with mischief. Her mouth was tipped into a smirk. I have heard that she can dance really well. Maybe that was an understatement. She's an awesome dancer. Demi has lived on this earth eleven years and she already has more grace flying than Eva. It leaves you in awe, staring up at her small form twisting and spinning in the current.

Ice and Flair both wore their signature expressions, filled with warning and mystery. Their two identical twin children, Cole and Sapphire, weren't much different. The boy inherited his father's ability to freeze things. Cole can literally freeze your heart, stopping you dead. Sapphire has a slightly less aggressive personality than her brother. She's a tad kinder and self reserved, which is ironic considering she can explode things at her own free will. Cole and Sapphire are always at each other's throats. In the end, I think Cole is secretly a menacing dictator disguised as a red-headed, blue eyed devil child.

Ryan and Selene were off to the side, laughing lightly as they conversed with Dr. M. They complemented her new hair style. I didn't care much for it. Her hair had turned grey with age and she had it cut slightly shorter. Oh, she still had her deep, brown eyes and famous cookies, but I found her boring. She talked constantly about her job, head of the CSM. I could have fallen asleep on multiple occasions. Peter, Ryan and Selene's quiet kid, stood, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Peter was twelve and could be classified as a "pretty boy". He looked like Ryan, almost exactly, but his skin was a shade lighter and his eyes a different color of brown. Ryan had passed his power down to Peter, yet the boy tried to hide it from the world. Peter had an extreme fascination with rocks and minerals, a great group of friends, and, unlike the rest of us, no wings. Nowadays, this is referred to as _Bareback_. Scientists predict that through the generations our wings and powers could be lost. That'd be tragic.

"No!" Bethany demanded. Bethany was Sylvia's little girl. Currently, she was going through her terrible twos, and had picked out her favorite word:no. Jester, her dad, had her sitting on his shoulders. Bethany's hair was a baby blue and her eyes were a shade of maroon. Somehow, she had inherited most of Jes' features, like the green wings and the ability to alter colors. Bethany was named after Gwen and Sylvia's late mother, Beth. Gwen was marveling over the child at the moment. I knew that Bethany was especially important to Gwen and Kale because of her parents. Gwen had almost balled her eyes out at Jester and Sylvia's wedding. She said that they were her "babies" and that it was "sweet" to see them grow up. I found that corny and asked her if it was her time of the month. This resulted in an immediate ranting and scolding. Women.

Speaking of women, three of the most intimidating females stopped to stare at me. Angel tilted her head slightly and smiled innocently at me. Max says that she's had that quality since childhood, I guess she never grew out of that. She no longer had curls, and her hair had darkened to a dirty blond. I could feel her prodding in my mind, and threw up a blockade. Angel's smile faltered as her lips drew down slightly before she regained the grin. This time it was fake, and I could see frustration behind her blue eyes. She didn't like not being able to look freely through my mind. Maybe because it's uncharted territory to her; she's never read a single one of my thoughts before. I overheard her telling Gwen that I had one of the strongest mind blocks she had ever experienced. their chat concluded with me being accused of hiding something. They may just be on the right track. She straightened her blouse and smoothed the creases in her black pencil skirt. She handled all of the legal crap concerned with mutants. I've heard stories about how well she can drive a bargain, which is probably just because she can change anyone's opinion at her own free will.

Melee stood, as she usually does, dully, just staring. Her eyes showed no emotion as they scanned over my face, and her mouth didn't move to let out words, either. She just watched me, simply studying me like a lion does an antelope before it decides if it's worth pursuing. Apparently I wasn't, for she turned and continued to walk. It was intimidating, but she was in a very highly ranked military group. What could I expect from someone who spent day after day, tracking down the most blood thirsty savages to ever be vomited up by mankind? A polite, quiet lady? No, that was Lucy Dee.

"Look at you, all grown up!" Lucy Dee mused, "Where are your glasses?" Oh gosh, I had almost forgotten. Maybe because I hadn't had the need for glasses for-what?-five years. When I was abducted by the Whitecoats they had altered my eye sight, and I advanced to where I no longer needed the wretched things. I had hawk vision like the rest of my family, but dear old Lucy Dee didn't know about that fiasco. I simply shrugged in response. Her interest changed to focus on my current height, and I rolled my eyes as she looked from the ground up, and then back down again, trying to judge how much I had shot up. Her pure white hair was put up neatly in a bun and her apple green eyes shone with a childish understanding of the world. I recalled Angel talking about how easy Lucy Dee was to convince and deceive, but I found her nice and safe. She lived with Angel and together the two traveled the country, even the world, fighting for equal rights for all mutants alike. Honestly, I didn't care if I had the right to vote, or marry, but to some it was a big deal. It became especially crucial when people argue that we are "abominations" and that we should be "finished off". That doesn't happen much anymore. Most people in our communities treasure us, but there's always those who want to be the odd man out; those who want to start trouble. Angel and Lucy Dee fix this with words, but I, on the other hand, prefer to stop the bull crap cold. I will not hesitate to beat the living breath out of someone who downs my family.

Gazzy slid past me on his way over to Melee. They come from the same troop. It's not really all that dangerous, I don't think. They're just sent out on missions that normal humans can't accomplish. Gwen said that it was dangerous because the government could overuse them as extreme weapons, and then more of us might be created and mistreated for other countries to accomplish their wishes, too. Gazzy and Melee don't get the privilege to do much. Sure, every once in a while they go to a disaster cite and save a few people, or put out forest fires, but other than that it's not all that tedious. At least, that's how Gazzy describes it.

"Oh my gosh! Did you see the new episode! It was ah-mazing! I almost cried at that one part! Ooh! Wanna come over next Friday? You can spend the night and we can do makeup!" Krystal squealed as she bounced up and down in front of Ava and Eva, her black, curly hair tossing side to side. I watched in awe as Nudge's twelve year old went on and on. Then I realized that she resembled Nudge almost exactly. Sure, her skin was a tad lighter and her eyes were a brighter brown, but other than that they were practically the same. Right down to the last word. I don't know how Hillbilly puts up with Jibber Jaws and Jibber Jaws mini.

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	4. Bedtime Stories

**Ch.4:Bedtime Stories**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

The day ended with us all sharing a meal, that Iggy and his and Ella's daughter Lani prepared, telling stories, and then going our separate ways. Gwen, Kale, and I stayed at Max's house as the others flew home. Granted, I knew that most of them only lived in a two hour distance from here, but that was quiet a distance. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I care. Actually, I could care less if I never saw another one of them again, but Gwen and Kale would die without their family. This isn't my family. I haven't paid my due, or earned a place in this group. I haven't thrown my life on the line for them, or fought along beside them. To them I am nothing but a charity case; someone they have to take care of because I have no one else.

"Guess who's spending the night!" Eva shook my shoulders, waking me up from my nap on the couch. Instinct switched on as I bolted to my feet, elbowed her in the stomach, and threw her to the floor. I even went so far as to pin her to the ground.

"Well someone doesn't like being woken from their beauty sleep," she grumbled. I recoiled and sunk back into the couch. She stood up and brushed herself off.

"Sorry. Don't wake me up like that again." I stared at my combat boots like they were the best things in the world.

"I won't. I do _not_ plan on getting the crap beat out of me." She gave a small laugh and stared at my boots, too.

"Guess who's bunking with me!" Blane came bounding into the room. His grin made his face brighten. He was wearing flannel pajamas and had a football tucked under his arm. I sat there unamused, and, to his diasapointed, didn't bother to guess.

"Rebel!" Eva answered for him, sounding optimistic and playful. Her smile faded when she looked at me and noticed that I wasn't smiling along with them. Blane frowned, but regained himself.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Blane tried. I sighed and stood. We walked in silence to his room. When he opened his door I was bombarded by super hero posters. My mouth fell agape. My nerd alert alarm blared in the back of my brain as I glanced around. Everything was comic books or super hero decor.

"Oh, sorry. It's a little messy." He scooted dirty clothes out of the way with his foot. "You can take the bed. I have a sleeping bag."

"Sure," I mumbled and came to a hurried seat on his small bed. The comforter was of the Superman symbol, but I didn't really realize that until later on; I was to busy staring at everything else. "I'm guessing you like..."

"Comic books," he answered before I could finish, "TV, Saturday morning cartoons, and action figures. Yes, yes I do."

"Weird," I breathed under my breath, but he didn't hear me. He was busy unpacking his sleeping bag. I slowly eased down to sit on his bed and laid back to see superhero posters tacked to the ceiling. "Ok! I'm going to go get a drink! You stay here and...do whatever geeks-I mean people like you do." I was now carefully stepping over plastic men with capes and piles of comic books. I made my way to the hallway, not bothering to listen for his response. By the time I had reached the kitchen my thoughts were swirling.

"Hello! Earth to Rebel!" Ava interrupted me.

"Hmm?" I mused as I blinked myself out of my shocked dazed.

"How did you like Blane's hoard?" She gave a smirk; hence, she knew the answer.

"Does he get picked on a lot?"

Ava gave me a curt snort.

"No. Why?" She asked.

"Eva, he's the kind of kid that I would tie to the flagpole." I frowned and gulped down my glass of water.

"That's only because you're a jerk! He's sweet and nice: innocent."

"Have you seen any of his friends?"

"Well...no."

"My point exactly."

"You know Rebel," Ava had her teeth bared, "ever since you've turned into a hot-shot I've noticed something." I raised an eyebrow. "You are an a**!"

I gave an amused laugh and said, "I think you're just jealous."

"Of what? You're stupidity, or all the comments thrown at you about your malice?" Ava was snarling now, and my fists curled.

I remembered one occasion when an older man came out of a crowd of people and called me an "unbaptized limb of Lucifer". I had made a snide comeback and asked if I was an arm or a leg. That was the first time that I had been called evil by someone outside the labs. The hatred has followed me ever since. To hear Ava say that I was evil doused my bones in ice water and then sent sparks through my veins.

"You don't know anything! You've never been where I have! You don't walk in my shoes, or think the way I do. You don't know anything!"

"I'm ignorant! I get it, but maybe I feel what you feel Rebel. I can detect your feelings. I have wings and powers too, remember?"

We stopped and calmed down for a minuet.

"What happened, Reb?" She asked quietly.

"Life." With that I sighed and turned, heading back to Blane's room. I found him waiting, smiling with an innocence that I used to have.

"Tell me the story," he begged. I inwardly groaned and sat down on the bed.

"Not tonight." I waved him off and laid back.

"But we might only have tonight," he said thoughtfully, "You might go home tomorrow."

"Fine!" I snapped, "I'll tell the dumb story!"

"Yes!" He cheered. Nichole knocked on the door. Blane let her in and they sat on his sleeping bag, staring up at me expectantly.

"Ok, there was once five beings..." I began.

"Courage, Friendship, Hope, Love, and Peace," Blane interrupted.

I nodded and continued. "But one day Courage grew to much pride and caused Friendship to stray away. Friendship contorted into Enemy, and Courage lost its bravery to stand up for itself. Courage became Coward. Love turned sour too, leaving Hope lost. Love twisted into Hate, and Hope became Fear. Peace couldn't keep itself up with the lack of just and turned into Chaos."

"This is my favorite part!" Blane whispered to Nichole. Lame.

"And just when it seemed that all was lost one last element came into play: Goodness. With it came justice to restore Peace, and happiness for Love. It gave the bravery back to Courage. Friendship was refilled with amity, and Hope with auspiciousness. Life was restored, and balance reached. Remeber that all is worthless if..." I paused for a second to see if Blane remembered. He did.

"Goodness isn't with your actions."

"Right." I nodded. "Now go to bed."

"Tell it again!" Nichole cheered.

"No," I said sternly.

"PLEASE!" Must...resist...BAMBI EYES!

"No." I tried to be more stern.

"Pooey! No fun!" Nichole crossed her arms. I pulled her up on the bed and ticked her sides, sending her into a fit of giggles.

"No, you're mom is going to be the one who is no fun if she finds out I had you up this late," I stated.

"Oh, I forgot about that," she whispered, cuddling in beside me. I chuckled and glanced over at Blane. He had his headphones on and was starting to doze off. I laid still and pulled the covers up over Nichole. By the time she had slipped into a deep sleep, I was laying awake and staring at the poster covered ceiling. Ever so carefully I unhooked her hands from my shirt and laid her in the middle of the bed. I stood and tiptoed over Blane to the door, hurrying out to the hall. I closed the door behind me and sighed. I had made it.

"We can't tell the kids." That came from the living room, which was precisely a couple of steps and a right turn from where I was.

"The others know too, right?" This time I could make out the voice as Gwen's.

"Yes, but you all have to stay here. Ox almost caught up with you." Max, defiantly Max's voice.

"What do they want? Why are they only coming after us?" Kale seemed stressed as he spoke.

"I have a feeling that Ava and Eva aren't what they expected for them to be," Max explained.

"So you're saying...?" Gwen began, but I heard footsteps shifting over the carpet and I immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

"Fang? Where are you going?" Max questioned.

"Just to check and make sure Nichole is sleeping," he answered.

_Oh gosh!_ I thought, _He's coming this way! Move! Hide!_

I ran as smoothly as I could to Nichole's room, laying on the bed and pulling the poofy, pink comforter over my head. Fang opened the door almost thirty seconds after I had curled into a ball. He must have seen nothing out of the ordinary because the door closed back. That was way too close.

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	5. For Our Lives

**Ch.5: For Our Lives**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

I woke in the night to a deafening roar. It shook the house and threw me from Nichole's Barbie themed bed. Ringing was the only thing I heard for some time. I eventually picked myself up and ran to the hall where smoke poured across the ground like deadly lava from a volcano. The fire alarms blared.

"MOMMY!" A shrill shriek called from Blane's room. My thoughts spun madly as I raced to his door and threw it open. Nichole's face was streaked with tears and Blane had her pulled to him, his paled skin giving away his fear. I hoisted Nichole up to my shoulder and yelled, "Get out!" Blane gave a curt nod before sprinting down the hallway. I followed, searching for the others. I saw no one until we arrived at the doorway to the living room. Nichole's wails mixed with gunfire. Men in heavy vests holding some kind of weapon that I've never seen before trudged forward. That's when I spotted them dragging out Max.

"Back door!" I spat, swiveling Blane around before he could see the wretched scene. He took off in a fury. We came to the panel door, and he almost ripped it off its hinges getting out. Blane knew what to do. His wings unfolded in record time and before I could say, "U and A!" he was above my head. Nichole pushed herself up from my arms and joined her brother.

"Watch her!" I ordered, ducking back through the door.

"Where are you going?!" He cried.

"I need you to be Superman for me. Take your sister to Storm, tell him that we've been ambushed." I didn't wait for a reply. I soon found myself fighting through the smoke back to Ava's room. Her door was open. The men had beat me there, but Ava was still struggling. My first punch hit a man blocking the doorway. He staggered, but turned his gun to fire at me. By this time I had ducked and brought my elbow up to knock his arm to the left. The gun was heavy, that I could tell, and he had a limited control of it. It fell to the floor with a clank. I slammed my shoulder into him and pushed my way past. Years of combat training was in my favor.

"Rebel!" Ava yelled, reaching out desperately from between two of the intruders. I was tackled and a great weight came crashing down on me. It was a man, and he had the end of the new machine at my temple. I held my breath, suppressing fear. That moment of weakness gave him more control, yet I still managed to pull a knife off his vest. He attempted to fire as I ripped the blade off him. My knees came up, prying him off me, and allowing myself to regain my footing. The gun, however, did fire. It wasn't quiet a bullet, but something more. It was round, pink, and about the size of a Tic-tac.

"Get her to the craft, lads!" A thick Scottish accent barked. Then all I could see was Ava being hauled in the opposite direction, kicking and biting. I growled and threw myself at the closest enemy I could. Soon, I was fighting tooth and nail, using all my training to get out of this. Ava had somehow slipped out of their grip and managed to beat her way through to me. My foot came up under one of the men's ribs and he crumbled.

_"Get out!" _My mind screamed_, "Get out!"_ I pulled Ava to the doorway, the five men still attempting to pull us back. I struggled from their grasps, throwing Ava out into the hall. I turned back, rapping the figure behind me with as much force as I could muster. He pulled back, clutching at his face and arm. We were at the doorway. I knew I had to get out before they called the rest of the troop. The wounded man fell back, but was quickly replaced by another, this one aiming a gun. Before I could even decide what to do my fury for survival snapped, my training came in to play. My roundhouse kick rocked him backwards, but he had pulled the trigger by now. Warm, red blood ran in rivulets from my shoulder.

I hurriedly grasped at the doorframe for support. He shot again, but this time I happened to dodge the bullet. Again I kicked. He fell to the floor and I rushed to slam the door. I knocked the outside doorknob off, listening as it bounced on the hardwood floor. They were locked in now, that I knew. Ava's hands wrapped around my arm, pulling me away.

"Go!" I regained my voice, and my ability to run.

Run we did. As soon as the sounds of a machine gun firing started we saw bullets fly through the locked door. We were in a race for our lives, looking for a way out, trying to dodge the enemy scattered throughout the house. Our pace picked up. We twisted around corners, ending in the living room. Blood was everywhere. Gwen, Kale, Max, and Fang were in here. Were they alive?

"They're in here!"

"Rebel, they've got us!" Ava whimpered. She was right. They had us blocked in the living room. My mind raced furiously through my extensive training knowledge. No combat moves could help me now. No muscle could save me. I needed _brains_. I needed a _plan_.

And then I saw it.

The living room was well lit in the day. Large, wide windows stretched along the walls. There was no screens, Max liked opening up the windows and being able to fly out easilly. It was a single sheet of glass. If only I could...

"On the ground!" They snapped, raising their guns. I sunk to my knees in defeat, throwing my hands up. Ava copied. Hesitantly, they stepped forwards.

"Window," I whispered to her. She quickly glanced back at the closest window.

"That's crazy." Ava shook her head.

"It's a straight shot, launch off of the couch."

"No way."

"No talking!" One snapped, stepping closer.

I jumped to my feet and bolted towards the window. A brown leather couch was sitting in front of it, but if I could still hit the window and break through, not hitting my head. Ava surged after me, catching up. We did a fast step-up onto the couch before placing a foot on the top and hurling ourselves at the escape. I didn't want to imagine what it'd be like if we hit and didn't break the glass. We would really look like birds then. But as my shoulder hit against the window the glass gave way. It cracked and creaked when it shattered to thousands of pieces. Ava had done the same as me, only milliseconds later. We fell with the glass, it sliced our faces, and landed on the nicely trimmed grass in the yard.

I rolled a couple feet and then tried to get myself up. There was a shard of glass in my lower back, and another had sliced through my shirt. I bit my bottom lip and hissed as I stood. Ava winced as she tried to stand. I shuffled over, practically picking her up and spreading my wings. Ava clutched to me as I took off.

Ava couldn't fly on her own. Her wings were deformed. As a baby, each of her little snow owl wings were perfect, but as time passed and she aged one wing remained small, crumpled, and unmovable. Dr. M said that this was a birth defect. Ava had never flown on her own before. I can't imagine what that would be like. Would it be weird to have wings that don't function? Would they just be useless limbs that mocked you every waking moment of the day? I didn't have much time to ponder before Ava nudged me and pointed downward.

Eva literally came through a wall, her wide wings beating down harshly. Eva's powers were pretty cool. She could walk through things, like a ghost. When Max and Fang found this out they were terrified. Max had been standing there holding baby Eva when she suddenly just slipped from the mother's arms. Max made a failed attempt to catch her before the bundle toppled to the floor. Eva didn't hit the floor, she went through it. Max and Fang raced down to the basement to find Eva, unharmed, and reaching up with her little, pudgy hands. At least then she was innocent. Now she does it for jokes, or escaping an overrun house.

"Cant touch this you-!" Eva yelled down at the men flooding into the yard. Thousands of curse words slipped off her tongue. She was hovering only about a third of a mile above the house, her fists balled. She was a cussing out a firing squad, for goodness sakes.

"EVA! Get outta there!" I snapped. My attempt was covered up with the sound of gunfire. They were shooting at her, at us!

My only option was to fly, but that meant turning my back on Eva. On the other hand, if I stayed to watch and possibly fight I could kill myself and Ava, leaving Nichole and Blane wandering whilst our parents were kidnapped. I took my head's decision over my heart's.

"NO!" Ava shrieked, trying to tug away from my arms. I booked it in the general direction of Storm's house. "Eva! Mom! Dad, help!" Ava wouldn't stop, she fought me with everything she had. I bared my teeth and pushed on, stopping when I was only far enough away to where a little speck was all you could see of the house.

I faces the odds. Eva most likely wouldn't make it out.

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	6. Safety In Numbers

**Ch.6: Safety In Numbers**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"I don't see her," I whispered, my throat drying. Ava gripped to my arm and bowed her head in defeat. I looked down at her and sighed.

"Hey, not cool!" Eva's voice rang clear as a bell. My head whipped up, a smile on my face.

"Thank god!" Ava breathed.

"Leave me again, Rebel, and see what happens." Eva shook a finger at me. I shrugged.

"Where's Nichole and Blane?" Eva questioned.

"I sent them to Storm. Did you see what happened to Gwen and Kale?"

"They loaded them into some helicopter, Mom and Dad too."

"Why? How did they find us?" Ava asked.

"I don't know, but we need to go warn the others," I hurried.

Eva nodded. "Right."

•••

When we landed in Storm's yard I noticed a few things...off. Firstly, the grass was laying down like a tornado had blown through, and, secondly, the front door was thrown open. The three of us ran in a dead sprint into the house, calling for the kids. Nichole met us first, throwing her arms around one of my legs. I picked her up and noted that she was sobbing. Her little hands fisted onto my shirt and she buried her head in my shoulder. Blane came next, pulling a rather pale Holly along behind him.

"What happened?" Ava got down to business.

"They got Storm and Ebony, too," Blane explained. Holly just nodded slightly, still in shock. "I found Holly hiding in a closet. They came here a hour ago."

"So we weren't ambushed first..." Eva processed.

"What about everyone else?" I asked. "Have they been attacked?"

"Blane, call Flair," Ava ordered, "I'll call Gazzy and Melee."

"Do you think that was the military? Do you think they finally decided they wanted us locked up?" I swallowed at the possibility.

"No, they would have taken us too," Ava shook her head, taking off down the hall.

Blane picked up the home phone and dialed Flair and Ice. Eva examined a few cuts on Holly's arm. Nichole cried and called for her daddy. I stood there, completely overwhelmed, patting the girl's back.

"I-It's ok," I mused.

"They got Mommy! They got Daddy!" Nichole whimpered.

"I know, boo. I know." I glanced up to see Blane setting the home phone down.

"No answer," he mumbled.

"Try again," I said, fear churning in my gut.

Ava came back, carrying Ebony's cell phone. "Melee's phone number says it's out of service, and Gazzy didn't pick up."

"Flair isn't answering, again," Blane added.

"Try Alex and Jace," I tried. Blane sighed and obeyed.

Eva looked up at me. "What if they got everyone?" She squeaked.

I didn't want to think about it.

"Demi?" Blane suddenly said. We all fell silent as he spoke into the phone.

"I know, they've got Mom and Dad, too," Blane nodded. He looked to us and mouthed, "They've got Jace and Alex."

"Tell her to stay put," I barked, "Tell her we'll be there in a little while."

"Demi, stay there, ok? We're coming," Blane mumbled. Then he hung up the phone.

"Lets go," I hurried, passing Nichole to Eva.

"Wait, they've got Alex and Jace, Flair and Ice, Storm and Ebony, Mom, Dad, Gwen, and Kale..." Ava observed.

"Yes, now come on," I grumbled.

"No, don't you see? They're moving in a pattern! They're coming from south to north!" She explained, "Jace, Alex, Flair, and Ice live approximately ten minuets south east from here, right? Then they hit here, and then moved to our house."

"So they're gonna hit Ryan and Selene next?" Blane guessed.

"No, they're already there," Eva whispered.

"Call Jester and Sylvia!" I yelled.

Holly picked up the phone, her fingers flying as she punched in the numbers. Four rings later someone picked up.

"Sylvia! Listen, you have to get out of there!" Holly screamed. "Someone's kidnapped my parents, and we think they're gonna hit you next! ... Yes, I'm fine, but you all need to get out, now! ... SYLVIA!" Holly's tone grew desperate as she gripped to the phone. She shook her head as tears sprang in her eyes. "SYLVIA!" The call then went dead, and Holly dropped the phone.

"They...they busted in and-" she whispered.

"Call Hillbilly!" Ava snapped. Blane snatched the phone up off the floor and did as told, only to get the busy signal.

"Dang it, Nudge must be yammering away again!" I growled.

"At one in the morning?" Eva asked.

"Keep trying." Blane dialed again, and again.

"Someone needs to get Demi," Eva reminded.

"I can't go and leave you here." I shook my head and crossed my arms. Eva sat Nichole down.

"We will be fine. Demi could be hurt. Go," She insisted.

"No, safety in numbers," I said.

"And what about those of us that aren't 'in numbers'?" Ava growled.

"Go, Rebel," Eva whispered. I sighed and nodded, not really wanting to leave them unprotected, but Ava assured she could defend herself, so I took off south.

•••

Finding Demi wasn't all that hard. The girl practically shook like a maraca under her bed. Eventually I got her out of the house.

"We'll see them again, right?" She croaked as we walked under the verandah.

"Hopefully." I nodded.

"Is this how you felt, you know, when Gwen was attacked the first time?"

It felt like I was swallowing cement. "Sort of."

"Sapphire and Cole, are they ok?" She asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged as we walked towards Flair and Ice's house. There houses were super close, sharing a garden. They were isolated, like most of the mutant's homes.

"Oh no," Demi breathed as we reached their back door. Inside, blood was splattered everywhere.

"SAPPHIRE! COLE!" She shrieked, throwing the door open and running in. I followed cautiously, taking in the fact that most things were either burned or frozen. Flair and Ice had put up one heck of a fight, but as I scanned the perimeter I noticed that there were no bodies left behind. Whoever was doing this was making it clean and precise, leaving nothing behind to hint anything.

"Demi!" Sapphire squealed, coming to hug her cousin.

"Now to find Cole," I grumbled, turning around.

"RAWR!" The boy jumped in front of me.

I didn't flinch, much to his disappointment, and simply nudged him aside, walking back out the door.

"Come on!" I called, taking off. They soon joined me, flying over the forested land below.

Whump! Whump! Whump! Whump!

My eyes widened as I spotted a helicopter, the helicopter that abducted out parents.

"DOWN!" I screamed. "Dive down!"

We landed in the brush roughly, branches tearing at out clothes. I peered up and watched as the giant machine sped by. All I could see of the label on the side was a giant 'H' painted in white.

"Look!" Demi breathed, pointing up at the smoke rolling up towards the sky.

"That wasn't me, I swear!" Sapphire defended.

"You know where that is...?" Cole rubbed at his chin.

"They bombed the house..." I whispered, unwilling to believe.

"Excuse me, but what?" Demi looked over at me.

"They bombed the house!" Not only were they startled by my sudden yelling, but also by the fact that I practically threw myself up, into the air; they followed nonetheless.

I stroked down hard and then glided for three descends before stroking down hard twice and gliding again. I was propelled through the air, and although it may have looked like a slow way to fly, I was reaching speeds that were usually not accomplished by any Avian-American. I learned the technique from Max, watching her fly on those days that I lived with the Ride's. Sure, I had no super-sonic power like her, but it was a more efficient way to fly. I reached the house, my brain racing after what I saw.

Pillars of smoke rose from the collapsed structure. Any life in the house at that time would have been either burned to death or suffocated in the grey cloud. My calm composure was now completely crumbled.

Were they gone?

Could everything I know suddenly be wiped off the face of the Earth?

* * *

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	7. Go On, or Die

**Ch.7: Go On, or Die**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

Demi stood in the yard of Storm's house, watching as the flames licked up at the sky. She was trying hard not to cry. Sapphire observed the fire with the same interest, bending the flames every once in a while in her boredom. Cole sat far away from the light of the destruction while I paced, pulling at my hair and cursing. The wind picked up and whipped away my words, causing poor Demi to cringe at my colorful language. This scene, when looked at far back, seemed calm, but at the moment it was anything but.

I moved myself from the danger. The grass started catching fire and we were forced to the woods. That's when it all started, I suppose. A loud noise came from behind us, and we turned to listen. It wasn't the crackling and popping sound of the burning house, it was more. As I raked my mind for what this new noise could be it hit me. Feet, pounding feet stepped over branches and stomped through the forest. Before I had time to tell the others to move a body hurdled into mine. I went into a stance of defense.

"Rebel!" A voice cried, and before I knew it I was being hugged.

"Eva? Really?" I grumbled as I shoved her off.

"You were right, we should have gone with you," Ava said solemnly, turning to watch the fire.

"I'm always right," I sniped, crossing my arms. "Who did you get ahold of?"

Ava shook her head. "No one. Blane heard the chopper and we booked it into the forest."

"You scared me to death. I thought you were dead."

"Nope, still kickin'!" Blane smiled. That kid amazes me at his ability to overcome things, like this depressing moment of confusion.

"We have to move on, check the other houses." Ava looked up to me and I picked her up. That was my answer for yes.

We took off and traveled from house to house. Surprisingly, everyone was fine, but the adults were all taken. Krystal, Nudge's daughter, happened to get to Baby Bethany in time to pull the child from her tiny pink bed and get her out of the house before the bomb hit. We found them in a tool shed. Peter, Ryan's son, built a rock barricade around himself. He sat outside his house, not saying a word. Lani was hysterical, laying barely out of the reach of the flames at her house, calling for Iggy and Ella.

We needed to find Angel and Lucy Dee. Maybe they held some sanctuary? I knew they were up north, but I didn't know exactly where. At least we were flying now. I gripped to Ava; she held baby Bethany to her chest, keeping the child from the chilly wind.

"How much longer?" Holly whined.

I didn't answer, and no one else did either. We didn't know.

"They're in New York." Cole looked up at me with cool, expressionless eyes, like he was looking for conformation. He swooped up from underneath, soaring above me now.

"New York! That'll take forever to reach!" Demi snapped.

"We'll make it," I sighed.

"You don't know that." Ava laid her head against my chest, trying to hide from the cold and warm Beth.

"No, but we make it or we die. Plain and simple." She had no reply to my response, because we both knew that this group wasn't made to survive.

•••

We flew for as long as we could, as far as we could, before landing and making a camp. Wait, scratch that. We laid down in a ditch, huddled together for warmth because A) we had no supplies, and B) we had no money to get a room.

Sapphire was the warmest. Don't ask me why. I think is has to do with her ability to contort fire. Nichole, Demi, Holly, and Sapphire laid in a little bundle of tangled limbs, their wings wrapped around them and each scooting closer to Sapphire in their sleep.

Lani and Krystal laid practically the same way, but they were both tucked under one of Peter's arms. Eva slept near the outskirts of the ditch, holding Cole close. Cole was abnormally cold all the time. I had a feeling that had to do with his power also. I knew Eva just wanted the boy to be warm, but I could see her shivering. She'd never admit it, though.

Winter had arrived here; it was close to Christmas. I tried to forget about the fact that it was supposed to snow later tonight. I tried to forget almost everything. I was silent as I stared up at the sky. It wasn't a clear night, at all. The moon wasn't even out to give its soft light. That's why I didn't see Ava come over.

"Reb?"

"What?" I sat up.

"Bethany is going to catch a cold if we don't get her warmed up," Ava whispered.

"Do you know how hard it is for a birdkid to catch a cold?" I said back, just as quietly to not wake anyone.

"But she's not full birdkid." Ava was right. Bethany was awake, I could tell by the fact that she was still asking for "Mommy".

"Here," I grumbled, taking the girl by the back of her shirt and holding her at an arm's length away. Beth was extremely small for her age. Dr. M always said it was some defect with the DNA. I set her in my lap, laying back on the cold ground. I bent my arm and held it close to my side, adjusting Bethany so she would lay in the nook of my arm. Bethany giggled something, squirming, and then fell asleep. Her light blue hair was up in pigtails and she had on a multi-colored polka dot dress. That's how you knew she was Jes's daughter, by her hair. Sure, the maroon eyes were sorta off, but the hair looked like she was just thrown out of the Smurf village.

Ava laid down a couple of feet away, acting all isolated like. I knew that by the end of the night she would scoot closer, though, so I didn't let it bother me. Ava's attitude is kinda like Fang's, just less severe. She wouldn't blabber for long periods of time like Eva, and hated the fact that I had to carry her.

"I forgot how hostile you were," I snarked.

"And I forgot how much of a pr*ck you are."

"Touché."

Ava nodded, crossing her arms to try and keep her warmth as the wind blew by.

"Why don't you huddle with the rest of the group?" I questioned, feeling chilly myself.

"Too many people. I'd feel trapped."

"Scoot closer Ava," I said nonchalantly. She shook her head.

"No."

"Fine."

"I know you're cold."

"I'm not."

"Liar."

"Moron."

"Coward," Ava hissed, turning her back to me.

I shook my head. Why did she always know what would get me the most? I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, knowing I had a long flight ahead of me. Before I could doze off a cold dab of water landed on the tip of my nose, and when I looked up I saw snowflakes falling down at me. This was the definition of "things can always get worse!". I sat up yet again, pulling myself up and quickly passing Bethany to Ava.

"Everyone up!" I shouted. If we stayed out here we'd die of frostbite. I couldn't risk that; I didn't want to freeze.

Eva got up, Cole coming with her. The boy looked around, marveling the snow. Peter, Lani, and Krystal were to their feet next. Sapphire had to be physically shook to be woke, yet Nichole, Blane, Holly, and Demi were already shooting off questions.

"Where are we gonna go?"

"What now?"

"Will it let up?"

"What's happening?"

"I'm cold!"

I was in full panic mode. This forest was not dense, and there wasn't a cave for us to hide in. A fire was out of the question before in the fear of getting caught, but now the idea was a wash considering how everything was getting wet. Taking shelter in the trees couldn't work, either, because the leaves had already fallen off long ago. The ditch, our only way to somewhat dodge the wind and keep in heat, would soon be filed with snow. Flying in these conditions didn't seem wise, but it was the only option we had. The true storm hadn't hit yet, and if we could get ourselves up and get moving in time we may be able to narrowly miss it.

"Get up, guys! Move it!" I barked, using the same tone my combat instructor used with me. They moaned and groaned, pleading for us to stay, yet I urged them on.

"Go on, or die. Your pick," I said sternly, picking up Ava. Eva picked up Nichole, following me. The others did too, eventually.

The temperature was lower the higher we went, so we stayed as far down in the sky as we could. I scanned the area below, looking for anything. Then, there it was, our sanctuary: a little church nestled into the heart of the forest.

* * *

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	8. Sent On

**Ch.8: Sent On**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

Breaking and entering the church wasn't as bad as I imagined. They had a little bit of food which we downed in fifteen minuets flat. The next morning we were up and moving again. This process of movement went on for day until we finally reached New York and tracked down Angel. She was all but happy to see us; she knew what this meant for the family. There was no explaining, she just simply read our minds and assured us she knew what to do. I found this highly improbable, but it was all we had, so we waited. The first night we stayed with Angel while Lucy Dee planned for us to go elsewhere. Night and Gloom's orphanage was the best option, although the exact location of Night a Gloom at the time was a little shady. The building was still up and running, even with the owners kidnaped.

Lucy Dee confirmed that Gazzy and Melee had been AWOL for approximately twenty-six hours. We assumed the worse. Dr. M hadn't been contacted, either. Her associates were put on high alert. This whole thing, the kidnappings, was planned.

•••

Ava, Bethany, Nichole, Lani, Peter, and I sat on the leather couch in Angel's office.

"Rebel, relax, I'm sure they made it to the orphanage safely," Angel tried to reassure me. It wasn't working.

"What if they were attacked?"

Eva had led Cole, Sapphire, Demi, Kyrstal, Holly, and Blane to Gloom and Night's orphanage. I doubted Eva's leadership skills, and fretted over their safety even more. In my mind I was the only one who could protect them; I was the only one trained in combat.

Then the phone rang, sending me to sitting on the edge of the couch. Lucy Dee answered.

"Yes. Thank you. I need to speak to Eva for clarification."

Then Lucy Dee paused and smiled. "Okey-dokey. Thank you, again."

"Are they okay?!" I hurried.

"They're fine, Reb. They made it."

I sighed and leaned back, a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I had stayed back with those that didn't have functioning wings, Peter, Lani, and Ava, and those too weak or small to make the journey, Nichole and Bethany. Angel planned on putting us on a plane to send us there. That not only terrified me, but it made me all the more edgy.

"We have to get to the airport!" Angel jumped up, ushering us out the door to the streets. "Move! Move! Move! It's gonna take ten minuets to walk there and your flight leaves in thirty!"

"Why is the airport so close?" Lani asked.

"Because its convenient," Angel shrugged.

"To who?" Nichole questioned.

"Me."

"Don't you just...fly yourself?"

"I haven't flown more than twenty miles in five years."

"Oh."

"That's stupid," I stated.

"And so is your choice of words, ignoramus."

"Nerd."

"Punk."

"Shithea-_zu__._ Shitzu," Angel growled, trying to cover up.

"Angel!" Lucy Dee warned.

'Sh*thead!' Angel mind messaged me.

•••

"BOOM!" Lani shouted behind me.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," I grumbled under my breath.

"Whats that?" Bethany was sitting in my lap, leaning over towards the flight attendant handing out nuts.

"Peanuts," the lady smiled warmly. That freaked me out a little.

"What's that?"

"It's what makes peanut butter, sweetie."

"What's that?"

"The stuff that goes on your PB&J's." And the woman was still grinning like a doofus.

"What's that?"

"A sandwich."

"What's that?"

"Well it has bread and..." Wow. Who hired this person?!

"Okay, she's just playing with you! Move on!" I snapped.

"Sure! Have a good flight, and if I can help you in any way, please say so!" The woman walked along cheerfully. If she wouldn't have been so creepy, I would have complimented the twenty-two year old's legs, but the whole little scene there kinda told me to steer clear of that one.

"Rebel?" Nichole tugged on my arm.

"What?!" I looked over at her.

"Help me find a yellow!" She slammed the crayons down on the lap table.

"Umm...why are all your crayons pink?" I raised an eyebrow. All the crayons were a _bright_ pink. Disgusting.

"It's my favorite color!" Bethany shrilled. Of course. The little munchkin can alter colors. Perfect.

"Your eyes are funny looking," the two year old pointed out.

"Thank you. I take it you don't like orange?" I frowned.

"Orange is my favorite color of crayon to eat!" Bethany beamed up at me.

"That's nice. Watch the T.V." I literally turned her head in the direction of the tiny screen.

"But I don't want to watch this show!"

"Well, that's fine, you can just stare at the back of this seat," I said with fake enthusiasm, setting her down beside me. I took the opportunity to jump up, slipping back into Ava's row.

"Go away," Ava said simply.

"No. They'll catch me and make me play with Barbies next," I whispered.

"REBEL! I NEED TO POTTY!" Bethany called.

"Just keep staring at the back of the seat!" I yelled back.

Then she just started screaming. I put my head against the seat in front of me, groaning.

"You should take care of that," Ava snickered.

This was going to be a long flight.

•••

There was approximately nineteen passengers on this tiny plane. Seven of them stood up and walked to the cockpit. My stomach knotted.

They weren't allowed in there, right?

The door was opened, I couldn't see how, and the seven barged in.

"Ava!" I whisper-yelled back to her.

"She's sleeping," Peter replied.

"Wake her up!"

Peter shook her shoulder.

"What?!" She hissed.

"Seven people from first class seating just stood up and went into the cockpit," I said quickly.

"_And_?"

"Are civilians allowed in there?" I elaborated.

"No..." She started. "Holy crap!"

"That's what I was thinking!"

Then two gunshots sounded from the front of the plane. The passengers fell silent. On instinct, I wrapped an arm around Nichole and Bethany.

"What was that?!" One woman shrieked.

Two more shots.

I glanced back at Ava, who had paled and was open mouthed.

"Hello, Flight 56, welcome to the Revolution. Glad you could be the first in joining it," An almost mocking voice came over the speakers. "The pilot and copilot are dead. Now, be reasonable. I, and my fellow associates, are members of the Human Race Survival Corpse."

The room fell silent.

The H.R.S.C., our worst enemies.


	9. Hijacked

**Ch.9: Hijacked**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"Do you think they know about our wi-?" I quickly slapped a hand over Nichole's mouth.

"No one say anything about _that_, got it?" I looked around at my group, my voice ice cold.

They nodded.

"We're _so_ dead!" Lani whispered.

"Agreed," Peter grumbled.

"Please hand over any and all cell phones and electronics. Remember, we are armed." The speakers let out the malicious, male voice again.

A man and a woman came out holding two silver rods that emitted a blue light. Hurray for modern technology! That's sarcasm. Welcome to my world.

"Portable censor machines," Ava told me quietly.

Surprisingly, the whole cabin was silent. I guess they were petrified.

"Alright! Everyone up! I want your hands behind your head! Any funny stuff and you're done. Clear?" The man with the "portable censor" barked.

No one moved.

The man then proceeded to lift his gun and shoot someone near the front rows. A woman then screamed.

"I said hands behind your head! Stand up!" This time we all obeyed, well, almost all.

I remained seated as everyone around me moved to the aisle and stood in an extremely ridiculous position. No way in heck am I obeying this guy.

The pair of agents walked down the to was of people, scanning everything and bringing anything that could potentially foil their plans back to the cockpit. They were dressed up completely different. Disguises. The woman was in a dress, barefoot after ditching her heels. Her hair had a white barrette in her hair. She had that first class look, whilst her partner had saggy pants and a white tank-top, chains hanging around his neck and a tatoo reading 'Pure' on his right shoulder.

When they reached our area the woman glared, pointing her bleach-white gun in my direction. The weapons weren't like they were in the Migration's day. No, things had changed, drastically. Being a master of anything to deal with killing, I knew that this specific model had a built in silencer, thirty-eight bullets that could be shot in an almost continuous stream, and was pretty darn efficient. You didn't want to be shot with this thing, that's for sure.

"What do you think you're doing, wise-guy?" She hissed.

My hands slowly made their way to Bethany and Nichole's backpack, looking for anything that could do harm. I found a sharpened pencil. Yep, I was screwed.

"Get up, or I'll...I'll kill you!" The hesitation she gave tells me that she isn't so sure.

"No," I shrugged, looking out the window nonchalantly. Yes, that was a Rosa Parks quote.

"Yes." That was the guy.

"Ha, no," I popped a peanut in my mouth.

I was doing my best to seem unfazed. I think it was working.

A hand grabbed the front of my shirt, hauling me to my feet. I was hit with the face his similar white gun. I felt blood gush from my lip. His hand fisted in my hair, bringing my head up to look him in the eyes.

He was smirking. A look shined in his eyes like he had won. So, obviously, I spit. I spit blood on his stainless tank-top and smiled right back. The look on his face was priceless. He let me go.

I stole a glance over to the others, who were watching wide-eyed. Then there was Ava. She shook her head warningly at me, frowning in her serious way, like Fang when Nichole would be a smart alack.

Hesitantly, I raised my hands, put them behind my head, and turned my back to the guy. He scanned me. Then he had to go and be a complete butt and hit me in the back of the head with his device. I barred my teeth, trying not to growl.

The pair searched all of the passengers and took all of the carry-on bags to the cockpit. When they closed the door the speakers sent out another message.

"Cherish these moments as your last," The guy's voice sneered, "We're taking this thing down!"

A woman shrieked, another fainted, and one man threw up. Great. We're screwed.

Nichole teared up, latching onto my leg.

"What?!" Lani cried, eyes wide.

"Oh my gosh," Peter repeated, "Oh my gosh."

I picked up Beth and held her close, my thoughts swirling. Ava was shaking.

The passengers eventually calmed down. The H.R.S.C. was crashing this plane because we, the mutants, were on it. We had no choice but to sit here and die. Or did we?

"I will not stand for this!" I announced, setting Bethany down and pulling Nichole off my leg.

Faces turned up to look at me. A flight attendant fanning herself, a man with a Hawaiian shirt on going on vacation, a teenager with his headphones hanging around his neck, all of them, every one, looked up, at me, petrified and confused.

"Will you?" I continued, "Will you sit here while we plummet to our deaths?!"

"No," a bulky man stood up, "no I won't!"

I gave him a curt nod his way.

"M-Me neither," a lady rose to her feet, a baby clutched to her chest.

Slowly, the others got up to.

"We're gonna pull a Flight 93!" Another dark skinned man with his hair slicked back and his business papers sprawled across his seat cheered.

The rest of the people agreed, shouting and raising their fists in the air.

Ava looked over at me. That one glance said it all. It held hurt, hope, tiredness, loyalty, and trust.

"Okay, we need a plan," I started, clasping my hands together. "A good plan."

•••

"Here we go," I whispered, looking to Benny, the business man from earlier.

We crept ever so silently up to the cockpit door. He grabbed my arm, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"You're a good kid," He said, studying my orange eyes, "And a better fighter."

I smirked as we drew our attention back to the door, each of up moving to hide. We pushed our backs against the wall, patiently waiting and lurking. We would be just out of sight of whomever happened to walk out that door.

"I found a phone!" A woman, her name was Eliza screamed.

And thus the plan unfolded. A man with a gun emerged from behind the door, believing Eliza's act. Then Benny launched himself at the man, tackling him to the floor. He stabbed his fancy metal pen into the man's neck as I jumped up and forced my way into where the terrorists stood.

"Go!" Peter cried. All of the able bodied men on the plane rushed the cockpit, following me in.

I pulled the woman who was controlling the plane from her seat, taking her place.

The chargers, my fellow passengers, got the guns away from the H.R.S.C. representatives and began dragging them out of the cockpit to begin stage two: Takeover.

Ava hurried to my side, picking up one of the guns and a cellphone left in the stash collected of electronics. She dialed 911, putting it on speaker.

"This is a nine-one-one dispatcher, what's your emergency?" A man's voice said, almost bored.

"We're on a hijacked plane!" Ava answered quickly, "We've taken it back over, though, but nobody aboard knows how to fly."

"Can I ask you your name?" The man hurried.

"Avis," She whispered, "Avis Aquila Ride!"

The man on the other end was silent, possibly struck speechless by the fact that he was talking to a mutant.

"Cris," The guy croaked, "My name is Cris."

"Ok, Cris, tell me what to do," I interrupted.

"Who's-?" Cris began.

"Rebel. I'm the one trying to control the plane," I explained quickly.

"Do you happen to know how many passengers are aboard? Or what flight you're on?"

"Flight 56, we came from New York. There's about thirty, including the flight attendants, probably twenty now that we've taken out the hijackers," I replied, rocking back and forth as the plane hit turbulence.

"So the hijackers are dead?" Cris clarified. I heard another gunshot.

"Clear!" Benny hollered back to me.

"Yes sir, they're dead."

"Do you know where you are?"

"Im on a plane with its pilot and copilot laying dead on the floor somewhere above the United States of America ready to piss my pants," I growled, "Tell me how to land the plane!"

"Luckily, you got connected to the right resource. Is the autopilot on?" Cris stated, calm.

"Now how the h*ll am I supposed to know?!"

"Ok, Rebel, I need you to stay calm for me. Do you have any prior flying experience?"

"I have wings, what do you think?" I snarled.

"Well this is a little different," He said.

"Cut to the chase."

"No one on the plane has ever piloted before or has any flight school?"

"Nope. I'm the best you got."

Cris was then quiet again, thinking.

"Do you believe that you can efficiently land Flight 56 safely?" He asked solemnly.

"No, I don't think I know the controls well enough. Is there no other way?"

"You could take her down in a body of water," Cris suggested.

My stomach knotted.

"There's a baby on board," I chocked out.

"Human or mutant?" Cris questioned. Like it really mattered.

"Human. Theres a two year old, four year old, and two twelve year old mutants, and then me and Ava here. The others seem to be older, and human," I specified.

"Rebel, I need you to listen to me ok?" Cris said, deathly serious.

"I've been listening." I nodded, even though he couldn't see it.

"I need you to be strong enough and do what I say if you want everyone to come out alive."

"I'm all ears," I sighed.

"Are you over a large body of water?" Cris asked.

Ava looked out the window and shook her head.

"No."

"Keep an eye out for one."

"Cris?"

"Yes, I'm still here."

"The Human Race Survival Corpse was the hijackers."

He was silent for a third time today.

"Any evidence of this?"

"They said so, over the intercom. There's witnesses. They're also wearing white, or they were. And they had the white guns. One had a tattoo that said 'Pure'," I explained.

"Were they on there for you, and your family, Rebel?"

"I don't know. There's a bunch of scared people on here," I whispered.

"Are you afraid?"

I looked over Ava, contemplating Cris' question.

"Yes, sir, I think I am," I admitted.

"Why are you scared, Rebel?"

"I dont want to loose my family."

"You're not going to."

"I know."

"We're over a lake! I think," Ava yelled.

"Ok, Rebel I need you to grab ahold of the steering device. It's shaped like a 'u'," Cris instructed.

"The thing they hold onto in the movies?" I clarified.

"Yes."

I let out a breath and obeyed, looking over at Ava worried.

"Avis, I need you to go tell the others to strap themselves in a seat and beware of where the exits are," Cris continued. Ava, out of character, threw her arms around me, hugging me, and them left to carry out the instructions, leaving the phone with me.

I waited for a few minuets, waiting for the others to secure themselves safely.

"Are you still there? Hello?" Cris' voice came from the phone once more.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm ready," I barely got out, my hands gripping to the "steering device".

"Are you hooked in?"

"Yes, I am now."

"Those movies you've watched, have you seen them land a plane?"

"Yeah..."

"Ok, I contacted the airport a while back. They're tracing your plane. The CSM was also notified. When you crash, get out of the plane quickly. They're should be help coming," Cris stated.

"Am I going to die?" I felt myself tear up, my emotionless walls falling down.

"I don't know, Rebel," Cris said with a hint of regret, "I'm not supposed to say this, but I really don't know."

"I'm taking us down. If I don't make it...long live the impures!"

And with that I sent the plane, unknowingly, quickly down.

I felt the impact.

I felt my fear.

I felt my tears be wiped away with the water rushing in.

I felt a surge to live.

I flew, fought, and _crashed_.


	10. It Could Be A Wonderful Life

**Ch.10: It Could Be A Wonderful Life**  
_Rebel's P.O.V._

"Merry Christmas!" Nichole giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck.

Yes, it's Christmas. We survived the crash, barely. We were loaded into a helicopter and rushed to the orphanage, where they had set up a medic station. Only one life was lost. It was the baby.

Our 911 call was out on the news, adding more rumors and gossip, but mostly we were heroes. The humans on board with us have their testimonies of what happened, but we stayed in hiding. We were reunited with the others. I think it's safe to say that we will never ride in a plane again. Turns out, the H.R.S.C. wasn't after us. They were after a disguised CSM worker, Benny.

My arm was wrapped in ace along with stitches crossing over my abs from where glass and shards of metal cut me on my way to the surface. But one voice remained to be heard. Bethany.

The two year old had suffered a major concision when we crashed. She was in a coma, and hadn't waken up. They weren't sure she ever was.

I sat beside the hospital cot with my hands clasped in my lap, watching her little body. Beth was still and pale as the sheets. I knew she was going to die. I knew she was going to die and it would be my fault. I heard the door open, the whole gang strolling in. Ava laid a hand reassuringly on my shoulder. Eva sat down next to the bed, tears slipping from her eyes. Kyrstal kneeled down, bowed her head, and prayed. Lani, Sapphire, Holly, and Demi stood to the side, looking like they were at an open casket funeral. Cole, however, distanced himself from the others, standing in the corner. Peter and Blane tried to comfort a clearly upset Nichole.

I knew we were in the orphanage, but other than that I hadn't bother to ask really where we were. I hadn't looked around or really spoke with anyone outside the collation or family. After about fifteen minuets of them standing there, they left, Eva hugged me like the world depended before she was gone, though. Ava stayed, watching me. She waited for the door to close.

"Spill," She ordered.

"I'm tired," I dodged.

"Do you blame yourself?"

"For what?" I asked.

"Any of it. The loosing our parents, the plane crash?" She explained.

"No, of coarse not," I stood up, turning my back on her with crossed arms.

"I heard you wouldn't let Benny take a look at your stitches." Dang, she was persistent.

"I'm fine, Ava!"

That's when I felt her hands on my torso, lifting my shirt up. The only girl's hands that have been there is Alice's, and I attended for it to stay that way. I spun around, pushing her off. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ava being the rock and the wall being the hard place.

"Rebel," She warned, stepping forward and following the same procedure.

I was blushing by now, speechless as she pulled my shirt up slightly and ran her finger across the stitches.

"You've torn one," Ava stated. She wasn't blushing, or even slightly shaken.

I pulled my shirt back down, side stepping away from her. "I'll live..."

"Come with me to get something to eat," Ava insisted, grabbing my good arm and pulling me to the door.

"I'm good." I pulled my arm back.

"No you're hungry. I can tell by your feelings. Now come on." She opened the door.

"But if Bethany wakes up..." I trailed off, looking back and feeling bad to leave the girl alone.

"Then Benny will come get her," Ava rolled her eyes, "Come on."

I hesitantly followed, walking down the tiled floors. This place was relevantly small. There were two floors and fifteen rooms, not counting the kitchen and living room. On the outside this place looked like a concrete block with a couple of windows here and there. On the inside it looked like a school, I guess. The tiles floors, cream colored walls, and all the rooms were built to hold a multitude of people. Like the kitchen, for instance. Long, rectangular lunchroom tables stretched throughout the room. There was about four, all filled with kids.

"Here." Ava handed me a tray stacked high with pizza, a carton of milk, and something that looked like broccoli.

"Yum," I grumbled. She pulled me towards a table where the rest of the family sat.

Cole chucked his empty milk carton at his sister Sapphire, but missed and hit Holly, who, in the process of trying to dodge, accidentally knocked Demi's tray off the table, resulting in broccoli spilling all over Lani's lap, which meant she screamed, hurting Peter's ears, causing him to tell everyone to shut up, making Nichole laugh and Eva face palm whilst Blane stole a piece of pizza from Kyrstal's tray.

"Hey! Guys this isn't the Christmas spirit!" Eva snapped.

"Our parents are potentially being tortured or killed brutally right now. You expect us to be in the holiday mood?" Cole growled. Everyone frowned and bowed their heads.

"What a buzz kill, bro," I frowned.

"But he's right!" Lani snapped, "Bethany is practically brain dead!"

Nichole wailed, throwing herself into Eva's open arms.

"Don't say that!" I snarled.

"It's true, isn't it?" Demi glared at me.

"The H.R.S.C. is on our trail and you do nothing but sit there and think about how you want your dumb girlfriend!" Peter added.

Im supposed to be the one who's pessimistic! I'm the guy who looks at the bad side of things! Not these kids!

They started fighting more, Nichole's soft cries mixing in. The stupid radio in the background started to spit out some tune of _'I'll Be Home For Christmas'_. I hummed along, feeling an emotional breakdown coming on. I tend to sing when I get stressed. Creepy, I know.

I was sitting, my fork gripped in my hand as I glared down at my plate through the chaos around me.

"I am dreaming tonight of a place I love, even more than I usually do, and although I know it's a long road back, I promise you I'll be home for Christmas." I was singing pretty loud, my deep, clear voice echoing. "You can count on me."

"Please have snow and mistletoe," Holly sang along.

"And presents under the tree." Sapphire smiled.

"Christmas Eve will find you," Blane sang, unsure.

"Where the love light gleams." Demi covered her mouth, blushing.

"I'll be home for Christmas." Kyrstal giggled little.

"If only in my dreams..." I finished.

"That was the most corny thing I think I've ever heard. We literally just turned into a children's book or something." Ava frowned, disgusted.

I stood suddenly, rushing back down the barren halls. I needed to see Bethany. I needed to make sure she was okay and still alive because if she died I would let the fires of hell loose and track down the antagonists responsible for this. I'd shove a Christmas tree up their rears if I could. Sure, they had families, and yeah it is Christmas, but the holidays mean jack diddly squat in my book when you could've murdered an innocent child. If the baby of the group was dead, they were dead. End of story.

I sprinted into the room to find Benny watching her. She was asleep, her small form ashen under the blankets. Her blue hair was tumbled this way and that. I found myself longing to see her maroon eyes open, but then again maybe she needed the rest. This is what I was talking about with the connections. Hurting my family is a thorn in my side, a thorn I was too careless to dodge.

"She's alive, Rebel. She's still alive," Benny assured. I clarified that myself, slipping her arm out from under the bleached sheet and feeling the pulse.

"She hit her head pretty hard..." He added. I nodded solemnly.

"I should've known not to get on the plane," I sighed.

"No, son, that would've done no good. Fate is fate. You were meant to be on that plane and land us, just like the H.R.S.C. was meant to be shown its place." Benny protectively clapped a hand down on my shoulder. He nodded towards the TV where they were repeatedly replaying the 911 call. Every time I heard it I relived a nightmare. News reporters commented on every line. Witnesses were brought on. Our enemy, who the people long held onto as a savior, was being questioned, downed.

"I'll leave you to think, kid." Benny moved to the exit. "What you did yesterday...it was heroically rebellious. You have a good heart." Then the door closed and he was gone.

If only he knew. If only he knew that I was a coward in an armor of lies. I knew I was dastardly and fearful. Sure, I could probably lift enough weights and shoot enough targets to scare a man, but the courage was all a lie. Now instinct, instinct may have been what they mistook for bravery. The will to save my family overthrew my fears. After all, the animal inside wants to ensure the survival of my race. A random stranger wouldn't have been saved in that situation. At least, I don't think so. I'm no knight, or super hero. I'm a boy with wings and the need to live. A boy who is selfish and wrong. I've been falsely crowned.

"Shame?" I turned around to hear Ava. Nodding, I turned back around.

"Rebel, you're killing me." She sat down beside Bethany. We stayed in silence for a moment.

"Eva showed the others to their rooms. We met some of the other kids..." She started.

"What are we going to do?" I interrupted.

Ava sighed. "Angel is handling it."

"Yeah, she handled our plane tickets too."

"Reb, everyone is scared, ok? Stop adding to it. Angel is on our side. What happened was a mistake, a freak moment of bad luck. The H.R.S.C. was after Benny. They didn't know about us."

"Still," I grumbled.

"Look, Bethany is feeling at peace right now. You can stop worrying-"

"Shut up, Ava," I growled, tired of her treating me like we were still kids.

"What?" Her eyes widened as I spun around.

"Shut up! Close your mouth! I can't stand it anymore!" I yelled.

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently, standing up.

"Stop!"

"Rebel, stop what?!" She obviously thought I was crazy.

I grabbed her arms, glaring into her eyes.

"Stop acting like we're still friends! We aren't friends!" I explained.

"I know!" She shrieked, keeping the tears in her eyes at bay, "I know that!"

Then there was a brief moment of us staring at each other.

"We used to be more than friends..." Ava whispered.

Then I returned the hug she gave me yesterday in the cockpit. I pulled her to my chest and held onto her like there was no tomorrow.

Ava had always been the strong one. When we were younger me and Eva would just goof off, but not Ava. When Max was watching us one day after school and she went into labor with Blane, Ava was the strong one who arranged for us to get Max to the car and drive her to Dr. M's house. When Eva was out flying one day and crashed, Ava was the one who bandaged the wound. When a tornado swept through the town on our walk home Ava hid us in a ditch. She always was the strong one. She never showed any emotion, just told people about theirs.

Sure, when we were little there may have been more than a friendship brewing, but neither of us admitted it, no matter how hard Eva tried to get us to. Now, hearing Ava say it and seeing her feelings starting to overflow broke me down too. She wanted her parents, she wanted her friends, and she wanted to go home. Ava, the bird kid who never learned how to fly, was facing a harsh reality.

"You're not the same."

"I know, I'm sorry," I said, even though it felt as if I was swallowing cement.

"Mommy?" A little voice called. I let go of Ava and looked to the bed, where little Bethany was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

I laughed, almost hysterically. The baby girl only raised an eyebrow, confused.

Benny stepped in right then. He noticed she was awake and started shouting the hall to someone. In a blink of an eye Eva was in the room, squealing. The others followed.

It was the most happiness and sheer cheer I've seen out of this group in a while.

"Best present ever!" Eva practically screamed, picking Beth up.

"I know this is gonna sound cheesy, but I think I believe in Christmas miracles," Sapphire said.

"Yep. We're the mutated version of '_Its a Wonderful Life'_. Perfect."

* * *

**REVIEW! I've been trying to put this up all night!**


	11. The Harsh Reality

**Ch.11: The Harsh Reality**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"You will wake up at 6:30 precisely every morning. From that time to seven you shall bathe and get ready for the day. At 7:01 breakfast is served in the cafeteria. Thirty minuets later you must go to preform your daily chores, getting a thirty minuet lunch breach at 12:00. The work ends at 5:00 and then you get dinner. Fifteen minuets or rest time is allowed then before you move on to a two hour Chastising and then you will have the rest of the day off. Lights go out at 10:00 and by then you are expected to be silent and in bed. Am I understood?" The woman supervisor turned around and look at us.

"Uh...no," Cole said, frowning.

"What is not comprehendible?" She asked. I hate to be mean, not really, but this lady was old and ugly. She looked like a transvestite from, like, the 1500's. The first time I saw her I gagged. She smells like meat, cheese, and baby powder. Her light brown hair was up in a bun thing and she had on a plain, grey dress. The only piece of jewelry she wore was pearl white earrings. She appeared to be about one-hundred and two.

"The...schedule?" Demi hesitated.

"Strict schedules make great people!" The woman recited.

"What are supposed to call you?" Nichole asked, skipping along as we hurriedly traveled down the hall.

"No skipping!"

Nichole froze.

"There shall be only marching here. No running, jogging, or _skipping_ is permitted."

"Why?"

"Hush, girl!" She waved her yardstick at Nichole. I growled deep in my throat.

"To continue with my former conversation, you all must obey our rules."

"Did Night and Gloom make these rules?" Eva asked, concerned.

Although the woman was far ahead of us, I could've sworn I saw her mouth curl into a malicious smile.

"No, we came up with these shortly after their departure."

"About that, where is their son, Grey, and their friend Drake who used to live down in the basement?" Holly asked innocently.

"Grey is here somewhere, that god forsaken child! Drake went missing the same time as the others," the woman answered.

"Oh..." Lani commented.

"If your replies add nothing to the conversation please do not state them because there is nothing to be addressed to them." Okay, this old hag was getting on my nerves.

"Here, this is the fifteen minuet rest period I told you about. You must go talk to the male instructor to find out more information on your chores," She motioned to a man in his mid thirties, "As for you two girls, I will care for you in the nursery." Nichole and Bethany's hands were grabbed and they were lead back down the hallway.

"Great. This is just-" I groaned.

"Perfect. We got it, Reb." Ava rolled her eyes, stalking ahead. That girl...

"You're staring at her butt."

"No I'm not, Sapphire!" I growled.

"Yeah, you were," Lani snipped, following Ava.

"Gross, bro," Peter fake chocked as he walked past.

I face palmed and followed. The idiots.

"I told them I heard you and Ava..." Eva whispered to me.

"It's official, I hate you," I grumbled.

"But you _love_ her!" Eva giggled.

"I love Alice," I said stubbornly. Eva's smile dropped.

"You only like her looks!" She snapped.

"Stop." Then we were glaring, that is until the male instructor yelled at us.

"You! There is no interaction between genders!"

"What the-"

"No cussing!"

"I wasn't-"

"Do not defy me!"

Yeah, this is gonna get old.

"Boys are to be on the left side of the wall. Girls are on the right. Move!" The man had brown hair that was slicked back and piercing, steel-blue eyes that could make a person cower. We split our ways, not wanting to make this guy, who was wearing ugly brown, knee long shorts and a white, button-up shirt, mad.

"Hey! New kids!" A boy rushed forward. He was missing a front tooth and had elongated K-9's. His skin looked as if he had one of those cheap orange spray tans. There was areas of his skin that was darker than others, and his hair was orange with thin strips of black here and there.

"Umm...hi?" Peter tried, waving slightly.

"I'm Tigger!" The boy chirped, sticking his hand out for a shake. Peter reluctantly shook it.

"You're part tiger?" Cole asked, smirking as he watched the kid.

"Yep. _You're_ part bird."

"You are named after a character from Winnie the Pooh, you have no room to tease, dude," Cole spat.

"Winnie the Pooh?" Tigger raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side.

"You know, the cartoon..."

"We aren't allowed to watch cartoons here," Tigger explained.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Television is a useless invention that rots the brain," An older boy stepped forward. He literally had horns. Like ram horns. "At least, that's what they say."

"What do you do for fun?" Peter kept at the curly horns.

"We break things." Goat Boy shrugged nonchalantly.

"This is Aries," Tigger introduced.

"So you are part goat!" Peter concluded.

"Yeah. When I first came here they called me Billy, Billy Goat," Aries shrugged, "You can call me either. I've been alive sixteen years and I already know nothing stays constant. I have a sister, Capricorn, whose usually assigned to serving the Instructors."

"Serving?" I rose an eyebrow at his choice of words.

"Oh, right, newcomers. Well, you see, they treat us like slaves here. There's Sir Instructor and Madam Instructor, who, because they apparently crave power, literally carry around whips and cudgels and hit you with them if you go too slow. Most of the girls, if they're not ugly, get to work in the house, cooking and cleaning. We, on the other hand, are left outside to dig holes and garden," Aries explained.

"Excuse me, but did you just say dig holes?" Cole asked.

Tigger nodded. "We bury trash in them."

"That's disgusting!" I looked down at the ground to be sure I wasn't standing in a pile of trash.

"That's how we've been living since Night, Drake, and Gloom got taken," Aries sighed.

"Our p-caretakers got taken too," I added.

"We know!" Tigger laughed, "When we heard you were coming we knew you all would find Night and the boys and bring 'em back!"

"Whoa! Where did you get that idea?" I held up my hands. I didn't come here to look for a degree in heroism. I came for safety.

"Look, you and I both know we can't live like this forever. We can't get over the gates, either. You have the wings to get out of here. Don't you see it? The Instructors are working for the H.R.S.C.! They're gonna start killing us off like we're livestock at a slaughter house!" Aries brought his voice down to a whisper. "Three of the oldest have already gone missing. Word is, they buried them in one of the holes."

"This is insane. You're in good hands, there's people here from the CSM watching over us," Cole snapped.

"But they're leaving soon," Tigger pointed out.

"What do you think we're doing today?" Aries jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to at the shovels piled near a barren section of the yard.

"Holy crap..." I breathed.

"And guess whose signed to dig?" Aries said, almost inaudible.

"Who?" Peter whispered back.

"Rebel and Aries." Tigger held up the schedule.

Then a whistle blew and Sir Instructor was yelling at us and telling us where to go. Peter was whisked away to the garden and told to use his power to move the rocks. Cole was assigned to freezing the water in the fountain and helping the other boys, like Tigger, to repair it. Staying true to the schedule, Aries and I picked up a shovel and started digging.

"Make this last," Aries snarled, "you're digging you're own grave."

My shovel slammed into the hard ground again. Could this be true? We're they planning on murdering us and throwing us down our own hole?

•••

We didn't get to stop for lunch break. We were forced to work through it because we were moving too slow. As the day moved on we neared the end if the chores. Aries continued to talk about the kids here. There was ten of them that weren't human, including himself and Tigger. Apparently the other human children were being transferred to another orphanage. After that the conversation grew to weak subjects.

"Did you get anything for Christmas?" I asked awkwardly as I threw another load of dirt over my shoulder.

"No, although I know Night got me something. The Instructors sold it all," he explained.

"Oh. Did you ever have a Mom?"

"Capri and I never met her. Im sure we're siblings, though." Aries looked up at me. "What about you?"

"No, I was saved from the School. Im probably a testtubie."

"Got any brothers or sisters?"

"Nope."

"Got a girlfriend?"

Apparently two...

"Yeah, she's human."

"Did you know that if a human and mutant want to have children it has to be approved?' Aries questioned.

"By the government? Yeah, Jester and Sylvia and Hillbilly and Nudge disobeyed that law," I said.

"Ive read about them!"

"That's not weird..."

"There's history books about you all. I've read about you too."

"Dude, stop."

"Sorry."

Sir Instructor, still feels weird to say that, blew the whistle. We put the shovels aside and filed into a straight line.

"March!" The guy yelled. Everyone fell into a constant pace, I was struggling. We returned to our rooms. Lucky me, I had to bunk with Aries and Peter. Cole got stuck with hyperactive Tigger.

"So when can we see the girls?" I asked, looking over the three beds.

"Never." Aries shrugged.

"What?!" I nearly yelled.

"Listen, Capricorn sometimes sneaks out here. I'm sure you all can sneak down the hall to the girl's rooms." He tried, motioning for me to be quiet.

"This is crazy!" I snapped. "First we dig holes, and now I can't see my family?!"

A knock on the door interrupted us. Peter slowly opened it to reveal a girl with brown hair and round, brown eyes standing on the other side. She had cream colored nubs of horns sticking out on either side of her head.

"Aries!" She bellowed, coming in and wrapping the boy in a hug. Now I could verify she was his sister. They looked exactly alike.

"I heard Moses is coming tonight!" Capricorn said cheerfully.

"You know he's just a myth, right?" Aries sighed, patting her head.

"He's not! He comes every once in a while and takes some of us away so we can be free!" the little girl persisted.

"Moses is just a made up guy you all created," Aries grumbled, "like Cinderella and unicorns."

"He's real! He helps mutants everywhere get to safety!"

"You're eight, you don't know anything," Aries hushed.

"Who's Moses?" I asked, curious.

"Someone the kids invented. Apparently he comes at night and saves us mutants by helping us get out of here. Kinda like the Moses in the Bible an Harriet Tubman." Aries frowned down at the little girl. "And if they hear you talking about him you get a whipping."

"Speaking of whippings," Capricorn turned to me, "That Ava girl you brought with you got in trouble."

Wait, what?

"What happened?" I asked.

"Lani dropped a cup and Madam went to whip her. Ava stepped in the way. Ava's gonna get it tonight," Capricorn whispered. "It made Madam angry."

"What the heck is going on in this place?! They can't beat us!" Peter growled.

"I'm telling you, we're slaves," Aries reminded.

"We need to find Benny!" I hurried, "He'll do something."

"The CSM all went home early. They gave Bethany a check-up and bid their farewells. They're long gone." Capricorn looked up at me.

"You thought you were in Purgatory, didn't you?" Aries shot me a sly smile, "I'd like to be the first to say, welcome to H*ll, where there is no escape."

No. Oh heck no. These people are crazy! I did not just survive my home being bombed and a plane crash to be locked away in this place! They can't beat Ava! They can't force us to work! It just can't be...

•••

"Alright, move on!"

Sir Instructor ordered. Two other men, dressed similarly to him, lead us to a room.

"Where are we?" I whispered to Aries.

"Chastisement room," he quickly answered, lining up along the wall.

The girls followed after us, lining up along the opposite wall.

"Where's the other kids?" Peter questioned.

"They don't have to come," Tigger crossed his arms, "This is for mutants only."

Sir Instructor sat behind a desk, placing a white case in front of him.

"What's that?" Cole pointed to the case.

"It holds these little pink bead like things. He shoots them into your arm. It disables your powers." Aries rubbed a little place on his arm. "It's the Human Race Survival Corpse's new drug. And yes, it works."

Ive seen those before. The night when our parents were kidnapped.

"They're gonna put it into us?!" Peter started hyperventilating. Tigger told him to breathe, patting his shoulder.

The line progressed, each getting the bead shot up their arms. Cole got one before me. He tried to be strong, but I could see him struggling.

"Whatever you do, don't deny them," Aries whispered, shoving me up to the desk.

"Give me your arm," the man spat. I reluctantly stuck it out. He put what looked to be a little black toy handgun to my forearm. Within seconds I could feel a slight sting, then it began burning.

All of us went through it, even Beth, who cried for only a couple of minuets afterward.

"Do any of you know what chastisement is?" Madam Instructor asked once we had settled back into our places.

I raised my hand, and, to her stupidity, she called on me.

"It's when people with sticks up their butts decide they want some crude entertainment and decide to beat and yell at innocent, pre-tortured children," I said with a straight face and an ice cold voice.

I saw her arm jerk quickly and something hits across my arm. Before she lashed out the second time I noticed this was the whip. When the tool of her joy came down again I caught it. It sliced into the palm of my hand.

The two extra overseers jumped to their feet as Madam struggled to get the whip from my hand. After I caught her eyes and gave her a smirk showing that I overpowered her, I let it go. She backed away from me, her face ashen. Her steps were clumsy in her low heels. That'll teach her not to mess with me.

It stung, and rivulets of crimson flowed freely from the wound. Everyone held their breaths, sinking farther back.

"Maybe you haven't learned yet, freak!" Sir snarled, "Here you obey our rules. When we say do something do it. When we hit you stay down!"

Although I wanted to scream that I wouldn't, I nodded. I nodded because I didn't need enemies right now. I nodded because I was determining that these people really were the H.R.S.C.

"Now," he continued, turning to Ava and taking the whip from Madam, "Miss Ava Ride, it seems that you have deliberately stepped in the way of our authority. Is this true?"

Ava stepped forward a little, shoving Nichole back to keep the younger girl from getting hurt. She said a quiet, "Yes."

"That is a form of rebellion. Rebellion is a very serious offense to the system here." He looked at her, making me suppress a growl. He twisted the bloodied whip in his hand.

"I understand," Ava said, no quiver in her voice.

"For that you receive one smack." He brought the whip down in a blink of an eye, like it was his third arm. It landed on her arm, and I felt myself bubbling with anger. They had marred her beautiful skin, her flawless skin. It's not that I like her, but you don't do that. Not to Ava. I figured staying down was better than getting myself killed. Ava returned to the group and we spent another half hour learning about how rebellion is bad and blah blah blah. No one cared.

All I cared about was getting out of here. They had shown us the harsh reality, and I was ready to throw it back in their face.

* * *

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**NEXT UPDATE: 12/30/12**

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	12. They Call Me Moses

**«WARNING: The third and fourth section of this chapter is a little mature.»**

* * *

**Ch.12: They Call Me Moses**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"We have to get out of here," I whispered, looking at the children gathered around me.

After last nights events I didn't sleep at all. They didn't kill me, but today for chores we finished digging the six foot deep hole. I'm glad our chores are over, and that Chastisement time is done too.

"I've got it!" Tigger squealed.

"What, kid?" I looked at him.

"We'll dig out, like they do in those old movies!" He beamed up at me, blinking his yellow eyes.

"With what?"

"Spoons!" Tigger bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Now I get why we aren't allowed to watch TV anymore," Aries rolled his eyes, washing the dirt off his horns with a wash cloth.

"What if we started a mutiny?" I tried.

"Yeah, that'd work real nice. We could just charge at the people with riot gear and wait while they fill us with bullets and chop us up into little pieces so they can hide us under the floorboard." Aries sat down on the bed.

Tigger's eyes widened. He pressed himself against Cole for protection. Cole growled and pushed the little boy away. He eventually ended up sitting next to me, tugging on my shirt.

"So how would we go against them? We don't have any powers because of that pink crap," Peter pointed out.

"Guys, we have the numbers to do this. All we have to do is gang up on them!" How could they not see it?

"Why don't you just fly over the wall and come back with the police?" Aries whined, "That would work so much easier."

"You think the cops, who are paid by the _government_, would help _us_? Us _mutants_? No." I gave a mocking laugh at that one.

"Just try getting over the walls!" Tigger pleaded. "Just try."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "Alright, I'll attempt it tonight and see what I can do."

"Yes!" Aries jumped up, shouting. He hugged me, grinning like a moron.

You know that awkward moment when your roommate, who is genetically mixed with ram, hugs you like you just proposed? No, of course you don't. What am I thinking?

"I mean," Aries pushed away from me, crossing his arms and making his voice go deeper, "Cool, bro."

"Do me a big favor?" I glared at him. He nodded. "Never touch me again."

"Sorry."

"No one tells the girls," I ordered.

"Especially not Capricorn!" Aries added.

"Rebel!" Blane called. He was beating on the door.

Peter opened it and pulled him inside.

"What?" I asked, worried after I saw the look on the boy's face.

"They wouldn't let me see Nichole!" Blane said quickly, "And the girls said they heard Madam say that the H.R.S.C. said they could finally making their move!"

"Blane, listen to me. I want you to keep your mouth shut. Don't repeat any of that to anyone. Go tell Ava and Eva that they shouldn't worry because I'm handling it, alright?" I looked him in the eyes.

"Fine, Rebel. I'll trust you until you prove yourself wrong." Blane shrugged going to the door. He opened it and started to step out before he stopped himself. "And Rebel?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't prove yourself wrong this time." With that he was gone.

"No pressure or anything," Aries smirked.

"Thanks, that's really helpful."

"I try." Aries fluffed his pillow.

•••

I've got this! Totally got this... All I have to do is take off real quick and hope no one spots me. Easy, right? Right?

I had my back pressed against the wall of the building, looking at the six cinder block thick wall that laid between me and the outside world. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing.

I had to calm down. It's three in the morning. I made sure the Instructors were asleep. No one was here to see me leave. My wings pushed through my shirt and spread slightly behind me as I moved out into the open. I stroked down and before I knew it I was off. Nobody saw me. I got off lucky.

Now where was I?

I landed at a gas station. There was a 'Homes For Sale' book laying in one of the bins. I picked it up and saw, in bold, yellow lettering, _California_ wrote across the top.

_Alice_! I was close to Alice! She'd let me use her phone and computer! I just needed to get to Alice!

•••

My knuckles tapped lightly against the glass of her window. She came not long after in her short, purple sleep shorts and pink bra.

"Rebel?" She yawned as she opened the window. I climbed in.

"Alice! You don't know how glad I am to see you! I've had a heck of a vacation!" I whisper-yelled, pulling her in for a meaningful kiss. She kissed back in her fairly awake state, fisting a hand in my hair and pulling me to her bed. When our lips broke apart I continued.

"Gwen and Kale are in trouble and-"

"I heard your voice on the audio from the plane crash," She said quietly as my back hit her mattress. "I was so scared, babe!"

"I'm sorry I didn't call! I couldn't! They put me in a freaking orphanage!" I explained, not getting her full attention. I didn't care, I was back with the love of my life.

She straddled me, sending kisses down my neck before she finally sat down on my hips. Alice lit a cigaret and blew out a puff a smoke. "Here." She held it to my lips and I reluctantly took it, handing it back a moment later.

"Listen," I started again, a grey cloud escaping between my lips, "I need a favor."

"And I _need_ you!" She growled lustfully as she put the cigaret out on the ash tray sitting on her bedside table.

"Alice, really. I need your laptop!" I insisted, trying to ignore my hormones as she pressed herself against me.

"You'll get it after we're done." Dang was she making it hard for me to keep my thoughts straight.

"No, I don't have much time..."

"You _never_ have time!"

"Alice! Get off! This is important!" I groaned.

She moaned, her hands traveling down my chest. "Take me, Rebel."

What has gotten into her?! "No!" I roared, jumping up and pushing her off. She scrambled to her feet.

"You are in some deep crap!" Let's pretend she said crap. "They know who you are, Reb! You and your family are screwed!"

What the heck happened to my girlfriend?!

"Alice I-"

"Go Rebel! But don't expect that you won't be hearing from me again soon!"

I literally threw myself out the window, putting as much distance as I could between us. I had no idea what just happened.

•••

Its 5:30 A.M. and I'm still wandering, trying to find something that I could use to contact the CSM. I tried the pay-phone, but I didn't know what number to call. The library wasn't open for me to check on the computer, either. I couldn't go to the police because the station was about thirty minuets away and I had a thirty minuet flight to get back to the orphanage. This was a freaking lost cause!

What was I thinking?! Going to Alice was the stupidest thing I could've done! I wasted all my time and my family would be the ones paying for it. I sat down, rubbing the back of my neck. Here I was, sitting on the curb, looking like a complete idiot!

After being hit with a surge of hope I looked another quarter hour before flying home, landing hastily and rushing inside to shower. My breath smelled of smoke. I couldn't get caught with that.

I shed my clothes, tossing them aside and hopping into an, hopefully, unoccupied shower.

_Smack_!

That was the sound of skin smashing into skin.

"Oh crap! I'm sorry- wait! AVA?!" My jaw fell agape as I blabbered, covering myself.

"Rebel! What are you doing up so early? I literally just got the water turned off!" She smiled brightly, bending down to pick something up.

Why was it so small in here?! Why was she not embarrassed about being completely naked?!

"Why are you in the boy's showers?!" I squeaked, watching her a little too closely.

Ava straightened herself, putting the soap back in its place. "Oh, the girls showers got filled up."

I closed my eyes, still shying away from her apparently not curios eyes. Ava pulled her towel around herself, pushing past me and stepping out. I peeked out from behind the curtain.

Someone wolf whistled. I followed the noise to Aries, who had a towel around his waist and was grinning like they gave him an extra serving of pie.

"You two were in there _together_?!" He asked, holding back laughs.

"Shut up, Aries! It was a misunderstanding!" I snapped. Ava rolled her eyes and walked out.

"Holy mother of cow! She's H-A-W-T!" Aries breathed.

"Hey! Eyes off!" I ordered. "And you spell it with an O, not an A and W, ignoramus."

"Dang..." Aries continued. I picked up the bar of soap and chucked it at him, laughing when it hit him square in the face. I made a not-so-nice gesture to him with my middle finger. He shot the bird back, making me crack a smile.

"I call dibs!" He screamed.

"She doesn't work like that," I mumbled, almost dreamingly as I turned back to the shower.

Maybe loving Ava isn't so bad.

Wait, what am I thinking? Loving Ava would be _awful_! But I thought Alice was great once upon a time... Maybe I just have really a bad taste in girls. Yeah, I'm going with that.

•••

"So then we do what, just start screaming and throwing things at them?" Aries asked as we made our way to the Chastisement room.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged.

"What happened to finding help when you went over the wall?" Peter questioned.

"It...didn't work out." I swallowed a sour taste in my mouth. I think it's called guilt. I hate guilt.

"Great, we're going to riot with no potential weapons and no where to go. This should go over real well." Aries entered the room first, glancing around.

"We're bringing fists to a gun fight," I whispered, glancing at the two armed men.

"Yeah, I don't like this." Tigger frowned.

"It's okay, Tigs, Reb knows what he's doing," Peter comforted.

"Or at least, we hope," Cole scoffed.

"Doubt is not helping!" I grumbled, feeling my nerves getting the best of me.

"Today we're going to cancel the chastisement. We're asking these fellow friends to stay. The rest of you may proceed to your rooms." Madam Instructor smiled warmly, an evil twinkle in her eyes when her gaze landed upon me. She pulled out a list and began reading.

"Rebel, Eva, Ava, Blane, Nichole, Bethany, Cole, Sapphire, Kyrstal, Demi, Lani, Holly, Peter, Aries, Capricorn, and Tigger." Oh my gosh we're going to die!

The other children exited, sending us sympathetic frowns.

That just left us, and the four devils.

"We have security cameras. We know what you're planning!" Sir snarled, gripping tightly to his gun.

"Look, I don't know what you _think _you saw, but this is all a giant misunderstanding," I started, really wishing we had powers right about now. None of my calculating combat crap was flashing across my vision. I felt abandoned; _empty_.

"We saw you fly across the wall," he stated.

"Schnitzel."

"What do _we_ have to do with this?" Lani asked.

"You all are his kind. You'll die with him."

"Geez, thanks a lot, Reb."

"Not the time, Ava!" I grumbled.

"You just never learn when to stay put, do you?"

"You know what-!"

"SILENCE!" Roared Sir, firing a warning shot. We squeaked and clustered together.

The three men aimed at us.

"So this is really how we're gonna go?" Demi whispered, burying her face in Eva's side.

"No, we're gonna attack on the count of three..." I whispered, fear not quiet seeping in yet.

They were going to slaughter us!

"One-" I began.

An earsplitting cry stopped me.

The door flew open, a person bolting in. Gunfire sounded.

"Down!" Aries bleated. We all hit the floor, watching the being dressed in black pick off the Instructors, one by one. Before he could finish all of them, Madam hit a button, sending off a fire alarm like blaring.

"Come with me if you wish to find your families." The dark voice belonged to boy. He stood above us, unmoving. I hesitantly got to my feet, snatching a gun from one of the men.

"Who are you?" I questioned.

"They call me Moses."

* * *

**Sorry that it got a little mature. **

**NEXT UPDATE: Whenever the reviewers ask for it...**

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**Again, my apologies**.


	13. Escaping Egypt

**Previously:**

_The door flew open, a person bolting in. Gunfire sounded._

_"Down!" Aries bleated. We all hit the floor, watching the being dressed in black pick off the Instructors, one by one. Before he could finish all of them, Madam hit a button, sending off a fire alarm like blaring._

_"Come with me if you wish to find your families." The dark voice belonged to boy. He stood above us, unmoving. I hesitantly got to my feet, snatching a gun from one of the men._

_"Who are you?" I questioned._

_"They call me Moses."_

* * *

**Ch.13: Escaping Egypt **

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"They call me Moses," the boy said, blinking his unnaturally red eyes.

"I'm Rebel," I breathed, gripping tighter to my gun.

"We have five minuets to get out and over the wall." Moses peeked out into the hallway.

"Let's go!" I hurried, motioning for the group to move.

Moses' hand wrapped around my arm, keeping me in place. "The doors are locked. She forced this place to go down into defensive mode when she pulled the alarm. We have little time before every H.R.S.C. worker in a ten mile radius drops in and ends us. We can't compete with fifty men with guns."

"What's your plan?" I asked, understanding.

•••

"Eww!" Demi gagged as we made our way through the flooded basement.

"This is your great escape passage?!" I grumbled, trudging along behind Moses.

"I'm just a kid. It's not like I can actually split the water in two so you all wont get your shoes dirty," he spat.

Waist deep brown water sloshed as we walked.

"How did it get so flooded down here?" Aries questioned.

"It was the Instructor's way of keeping people from accessing the passage. It worked pretty well, but when it's life or death I think we will have to handle the swim." Moses made his way to a wall. It was pitch black down here, and it reeked.

Bethany was sitting comfortably on Aries' shoulders, giggling as she grasped at his horns. Nichole was in Eva's arms. Demi and Lani had a grasp on each of Holly's arms, making sure she stayed with the group. Peter was trying to calm Kyrstal because the girl was flipping out once the water drenched her skirt. Cole was shoving Sapphire and Blane was trying to make sure Tigger was okay once he learned about the boy's fear of water.

Moses pressed his hands against a spot on the wall. "Someone help me push this open."

I jumped to action, leaning my weight heavily against the supposed door. The surface gave way, the water rushing with it and washing us off our feet. We were swept down a tunnel. When we climbed back to our feet Eva immediately started calling roll. We were all here.

"Keep moving. Go straight," Moses rushed. We followed him to a beam of light streaming down from the ceiling. I looked up and saw a hatch with a small little window.

"This is it. This is where the tunnel ends." Lani patted the wall that blocked us from going forward. Up was our only option.

"I'm going to need a stepping stool." Moses looked to me, his red eyes flashing.

I sighed and got down on my hands and knees. Moses stepped up on my back and began working on the hatch. A couple of long minuets later I heard a creak and metal grinding against metal. Sunlight now illuminated the small area. Moses's weight left my back. I glanced up to see Moses looking down.

A series of bangs echoed from above. Moses looked over his shoulder. "The H.R.S.C. just arrived. Let's go."

Aries handed me Bethany. I lifted her above my head. I was trusting this Moses guy a lot. I was trusting that he was leading us the right way and I was trusting the youngest of my family in his hands. Nichole and Holly went up next. I would have I work more to get the others up. Lani, Demi, Krystal, and Sapphire took a little longer. My muscles were beginning to tire. Cole, Blane, Peter, and Tiger I got up with the help of Aries. Then it was on to to tuff stuff.

"Get Aries up and he might be able to help me with the girls." Moses talked so fast I could barely hear it, but I, to hi great dislike, grabbed Aries and heaved him up. Moses grabbed ahold of him. I noticed the ram mutant was heavier than us. His bones were hollowed for flying.

"What did you eat, rock?" I grunted as he squirmed out of the hatch.

Aries, through heavy breaths, gave a short laugh. "You're close," he breathed, "Bricks."

I took Eva next, holding her up the best I could with my sore muscles. The minuet her weight left my hands I heard voices shouting from down the tunnel. Someone was saying that 'it' was this way. That's when I knew they found us, and that's when terror and panic sunk in.

"Come on!" Moses shrieked.

I hefted Ava up. By the time she was out and clear I could hear their footsteps gaining on me. They were running. I knew the others above could hear it too because when I looked up at the hatch I saw countless arms reaching down for me. I reached up and found that I couldn't get close to reaching them, not even if I jumped.

Cue the frustrated cussing.

I had taken parkour with an old buddy of mine. I don't know if that'll come in handy now or not. I slammed my foot against the wall and quickly pushed myself upward. I came right back down. The men were gaining. I told myself that I had one last attempt before I shut the hatch and let these guys shoot me. I did the same procedure, but when I forced myself up I propelled myself more toward their waiting hands. Then the gunfire began. I don't know if I was hit, I'm hoping not. Someone latched onto my arm. Numerous other did too, pulling me up. When my chest hit the ground I rolled out of the way. Moses slammed the hatch closed. Eva, Peter, Aries, Cole, Krystal, Demi, Lani, and Blane pushed the green dumpster that sat outside the orphanage's walls over the opening. We all sat down, catching out breath.

We did it. We were out, and safe. Mission accomplished.

"Alright you filthy rats. Hands on the back of your heads!" Well dang. I looked up to see about fifteen men, all armed and wearing white shirts. They had on bullet proof vests and grins like they had just won the lottery.

No. I did not just slosh through water, lift practically my whole family, and then do some stupidly failed parkour move to get up here and find that it was all in vein. I felt like dying. Like laying down in a hole...and dying.

They snatched Moses by the front of his shirt and placed a gun to his head.

"Any last words, mutant?" The man growled.

Moses, to his surprise, smiled back, his red eyes wide. "Just four."

"Spit 'em out!"

The boy took in a deep breath, then snapped_, "Let my people go!"_

Yeah, I think that's the signal for 'charge'.

* * *

**I am so sorry that this is terrible! This was my third attempt to writing the chapter. The first two times didn't save. Lucky me -_-**

**NEXT UPDATE: 1/2/14 {gotta get used to writing that '14'}**

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**Happy (late) New Year!**

**-sorry again :) **


	14. Slaughter

**Ch.14: Slaughter**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

I pushed myself to my feet and barreled into the man pointing a gun at Moses. We rolled twice before I came out on top. I slammed my fist into his face repeatedly. Then we were battling over the gun. At one point he had it to my forehead, but I knocked his wrist to the side and landed my elbow in his throat. It didn't end until I had broken his arm and moved the gun, still in his hand, to aim at his own temple. I forcibly pulled the trigger. His body relaxed under mine and I stood up, spitting blood to the side.

The others had joined in the fight and all I saw was us attacking like we brutal animals that were cornered. If this is what they want us to be then we will give it to them. My angry thoughts only ceased when I saw one holding Bethany, prodding her with the barrel of his gun.

No one would have the heart to shoot a two year old, right? She couldn't even see over a windowsill if she tried. But as I saw the man cock the gun my alarms went off.

Before I could even think I was running at him. He heard me coming and went to aim, but I simply grabbed the gun and shoved it back and up to hit him in the mouth. The enemy stumbled back, giving me the chance to give him a hard roundhouse kick to the chest. He was on the ground the next second, gasping to recover the air I had just knocked out of his lungs. Pulling Beth up into one arm, I took out the gun I had stolen from one of the Instructors.

The guy's eyes pleaded with me. It didn't phase my expression as I pulled the trigger and watched his head loll to the side. Bethany was now balling into my shoulder.

"It's okay, sweetie," I comforted, "You're okay."

When I turned around someone stared back. That's when metal bashed into my face and I dropped Bethany. They grabbed my arm and I felt a sharp sting. By the time my vision had cleared the person was pulling the blade out.

Combat training kicked in. I pulled my hurt arm to my chest and spun around, punching the man in the jaw. I snatched the knife from him. Now he was beginning to panic, fumbling with his gun. He had pushed me back towards the wall. I slammed against the cinder locks, my head hitting every time. It was now or never. He was going to knock me out. I kicked the back of his knee, putting him at a disadvantage. I laid my hand on his shoulders and threw him to the wall, forcing him to switch positions with me. I looked at the stained knife in my hand. When he straightened and aimed at me I threw it, stabbing him somewhere between the eye and the cheek. He shrieked and dropped the weapon. I dove to get it, but the sound of a bullet made time practically stop. The guy fell over, dead.

I looked up to see Aries lowering the handgun he held. We exchanged curt nods and stood to attack whoever came out way next. That's when the sheer amount of men measured out in my mind. Moses was right. There was way too many to count; there's way too many to fight.

"Run," I whispered, frantically looking around for Bethany. She wasn't there. She must have scurried off during the fight. "Run!"

We were so screwed it wasn't even funny. None of these people wanted to take us alive. This was literally life or death.

"RUN!" The desperation in my voice was sad. I could fight. I would stand here until I could literally stand no more, but my family, my people, no, they couldn't. This was the end, and if they were going to kill me the cowards would have to do it by shooting me in the back.

I watched as my group ran past me. I counted heads, one by one watching to see if they all made it. I didn't have enough time. A bullet grazed my leg and I soon found myself running too. We were in a bunch, all of the survivors packing together.

"Those of us who can fly must fly," Moses said, almost out of breath. The men chasing us were loaded down, they couldn't move this fast.

"No, we stay together!" I yelled.

_Thud_.

We just lost another. I complied, watching as those with wings threw themselves up, into the air. I was staying with those that couldn't fly. I wouldn't leave them stranded. I wasn't sure who I had seen. I was too busy running to notice who got up, but I did see another body fall from the sky. Who knows how many of us have died. I couldn't do anything about it now. All I could do is keep those who are still with me alive.

"Truck!" I followed Aries pointed finger to find a giant, red truck parked a little ways ahead.

"Everyone to the truck!" I barked, picking up my speed.

My lungs were burning, along with my legs. My chest was heaving and my arm was throbbing, but I still got to the truck first, climbing in the driver's seat. Aries hopped in the passenger's side while I hot-wired the vehicle. To my great relief, Ava got in the back with Bethany. Tigger followed, helping Lani in. Aries watched as Capricorn, who was limping pretty bad, made her way towards us. We all waited, holding our breath. I was fully prepared to hit the gas the second she got in. It was like the scene was in slow motion. She reached out, wanting help. Then her face contorted into one of agony and she fell, hitting the Earth below hard.

"No!" Aries cried, throwing open his door and almost jumping out to get her. I grabbed him, pulling him back in, and slammed my foot down on the gas. Tears streamed out of his eyes. Lani shut the door, watching as Capricorn laid face down. One of the H.R.S.C. agents came up behind her, lowering his gun to the back of her skull and shooting, repeatedly. Aries was cussing, screaming at me to go back. I knew she was gone, there was nothing we could do now. She would want him to live.

We were speeding away from the orphanage. Aries' door eventually shut and he was beating his hands against the window. Eventually he gave up, crying silently to himself. I, on the other hand, was giving this truck all I had, skidding around turns, driving down the middle of the road. It wouldn't take long for them to find us. I needed to locate somewhere where we could hide.

"Rebel," Ava said, her voice quivering. I didn't look back. She continued on anyway. "Rebel it's Beth. She-She..."

_Don't look back_, I told myself, _Don't look back and don't stop._

"Rebel she's been shot!" Ava said a little louder, her voice breaking.

No, don't tell me that! No! My mind was spinning as I tried to concentrate on getting somewhere safe.

"Aren't you listening?!" Ava shrieked, her voice breaking, "We need to get to a hospital!"

"What hospital would take her?" I growled, "If we stop the H.R.S.C. catches us and they slaughter us. Got it? There's nothing we can do!"

I looked into the rear-view mirror, glancing back at her. Seeing Ava's hurt eyes made my heart clench. Then I saw movement. Cars, lots of cars were following us. I was drawn back to my task, giving the gas all I had.

"Hold on!" I warned.

That's when the tires hit a patch of ice. I lost control of the truck.

* * *

**I'me finally getting some of my regular reviewers back! Thank you all sooooo much!**

**Ive known for a long time that I had too many characters. I've been trying to narrow it down, and, well, I think this halter did just that. **

**As for the plot, sorry it's going so fast y'all. I can't slam the brakes on now, so to speak, but it will eventually mellow out. **

**-Thanks for the constructive criticism BTW, it gives me something to work for.**

**Oh, and parkour is...well I can't really describe it. Look it up on Wikipedia, lol that's always a good answer xP**

**Sorry that this was somewhat short and sloppy. I didn't have as much time to write. **

**NEXT UPDATE: (hopefully) 1/3/14**

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	15. On Going

**Ch.15: Ongoing**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

My ears were ringing. I couldn't hear anything but the thumping of my heart. I was _upside down, _that I knew. The windshield was broken, shards of glass laying around me. Breaths left my nose heavily and were sucked back in slowly. The seat belt was holding me in. I grabbed a piece of the broken windshield. It cut into my hand, right over the scar from the whip I caught. Sawing at the fabric that made up the belt, I felt the pain coming back. Then I was loose, falling to hit what used to be the roof of the truck. Immediately remembering the others who were with me, I looked around, trying to find them.

A hand latched onto my hurt arm, pulling me out. My vision cleared and I looked up to see Aries. He was shouting something at me, hefting me to my feet. That hurt like no other. My leg, my arm, and my hand burned as if they had been set ablaze. As I straightened myself the pain increased, sending a grunt from my lips.

"Ava..." I slurred, "Where's Ava?"

"I'm here, Reb!" Her voice was distant and foggy. At least I was getting my hearing back.

"We need to go!" Lani yelled, gesturing to the cars catching up to us. I looked back at the flipped truck. It was crushed, completely.

The sides were dented in and the windows were all cracked or broken. It was almost like it was the rode kill flattened to the road. Irony. The only thing that drew my attention away was the fact that there was a dark liquid pooling on the pavement. I knew this substance all too well: blood.

"Tigger?" Aries called, glancing around. We looked around, trying to find the small boy. "Tigger!"

I swallowed hard, realization b-slapping me.

"He's still in the truck!" I said, looking closer to see half of Tigger's body draped out, of the truck onto the road like he was a piece of fabric. Dirty fabric.

Aries ran to get the unmoving boy. The cars were gaining. I could hear them coming nearing us, and that sent me over the edge of panic.

"Aries! We need to move!" I cried, anticipating for them to turn around the corner and see us any moment. He struggled to throw Tigger over his shoulder.

"The woods! Go to the woods!" Lani ordered frantically. Sprinting, we took off. The throbbing in my leg prevented me from going full speed. Aries was weighed down from carrying Tigs, so it's not like I would've left them anyway. If we didn't get deep enough into the forest we wouldn't stand a chance. I heard the vehicles slam on their brakes. By then we were too far back to see through the dense trees. We still didn't stop; we couldn't.

Bethany was pale, laying limp in Ava's arms. Tigger didn't look much better himself. Lani's face was cut in some places from the broken glass, making her look like a weed-eater went to town.

Where were we, six beaten down mutants, going to go? We had no family here to take refuge. We didn't have money, either. Running wouldn't last forever, especially with the blood loss most of us were facing.

"Stop!" Aries panted, freezing in his tracks to lay Tigger down on the ground. "We need to stop!"

I wanted to say no, but my body argued otherwise. I came to a halt a few feet from Aries, hands on my knees. My breaths came labored, but as I looked to Tigger I found that I faired pretty lucky. There was no rise or fall of the boy's chest. He wasn't moving at all, like earlier. Aries knelt down beside his old friend's body, checking for a pulse.

"No," Aries whispered, trembling.

I looked up at Ava through the haze in my eyes. She bit her lip, gently lowering Beth's body into a pile of, I'm sure, very comfortable leaves. She placed a hand on Aries' shoulder, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"No!" Aries shouted, begging CPR. "He's not dead! He's not!"

The sixteen year old had lost his sister and his friend today. He didn't have time for grieving. He wouldn't loose another.

Ava tried to pry him away. Aries just fought her, tears pouring down his cheeks as he desperately tried to save his friend. Lani's bottom lip quivered as she watched. I slowly made my way over, grabbing his arm roughly.

"There's nothing you can do," I said sternly, pulling him to his feet.

He looked up at me with sad eyes, his curly brown hair drenched in sweat. "I'm not leaving him to die here!"

"He's already dead!" I barked, glaring to emphasize my seriousness.

"No!" He screamed, struggling against me, in denial. "No he's not!"

Ava warningly laid a hand on my arm. I let Aries go, _reluctantly_. Lani hugged him gently, trying to comfort him.

"We need to keep moving," I started, beginning to walk off.

Ava gathered Bethany and followed me. Lani looked up at the ram mutant, blinking innocently before grabbing his sleeve and tugging him along.

•••

"What are we going to do?" I asked after we had walked a ways.

"Get a hotel?" Lani tried, her feet dragging along in her fatigued stage.

"We don't have money." Ava looked down at the girl, frowning sympathetically.

"I do." We all jumped at Aries' hoarse voice. He hadn't spoken for a while now.

I glanced back at him.

"I have a tenancy to steal people's wallets," he explained.

"How much do you have?" I questioned, hope beginning to spring in my mind. I quickly forced it back down, scolding myself for my foolishness.

He tossed me the billfold.

"Two hundred. Sweet!" Lani cheered as I pulled out the cash.

"Yeah, but how are we going to get them to give us a room? We look like we just slid down a giant cheese grader," I grumbled.

"Aries doesn't look that bad," Ava pointed out.

"Hello, did you not notice the _horns_!?" Aries growled, tired and frustrated.

"You could steal a jacket off the coat hanger. Then you could say your girlfriend kicked you out and you needed a room." Ava, always making plans.

"I guess that could work." I nodded, shrugging. I honestly just wanted to lay down and bottoms up a container of pain relievers.

"Now we just have to find a town..." Ava looked around.

"Well, how about that giant billboard up ahead?" Lani smiled.

Sure enough, it was advertising Motel 6. "We'll leave the light on for ya'!" was written clearly across the bottom. It said two more exits and take a left. Seems simple enough.

"I do believe in miracles!" I groaned, almost jokingly. Yes, I am joking because in the state I'm in I no longer have control of my mind. I blame the fact that I've been shot.

•••

"I need, uh, a room..." We could hear Aries say from inside the run down crap hole. I could imagine him pulling the neon green hood down on his stolen hoodie. "My girlfriend, uh, kicked me out."

"Okey dokey sir! You're going to go up that elevator to the third floor and take a left. From there you go to room 67. Have a nice night!" A cheery woman chirped brightly. Yuck, totally too much happiness in that description.

Aries probably started climbing the stairs, so we started up the fire exit steps attached to the side of the building. We had planned for him to open the window when he got to the right place. He did just that and soon we were climbing into a fairly small, cheap hotel room.

Ava rushed to the bathroom to start tending to Bethany's wounds. She called me in and together we determined that it wasn't a bullet wound, but a stab. What heartless monster stabs a child? If I could lay my hands on that — I'd scalp him and then repeatedly shock him whilst he stood in a bucket of water. Luckily, the affliction was in the girl's side. It was only a half of an inch deep, but the blood was gushing. This was crucially deadly to a two year old. Ava sent me to town to get a first aid kit. When I came back Beth was black and white, like a newspaper. No literally, she changed her colors. Wow, there's a lot of weird sentences today.

"Give me that," Ava ordered, quickly jerking the first aid kit from my hands and beginning to work.

I watched, helping as much as I could. Ava hurriedly stitched it up and wrapped it in ace wrap. She handed me the girl and told me to go get Lani and to lay Bethany on the bed with her middle area elevated.

I obeyed and eased the baby girl down on the bed, laying a pillow behind her back. My eyes softened for a second. Gosh, was this kid sweet

"I'll watch her," Aries said gruffly. I nodded, leading Lani to the blood stained bathroom.

Ava cleaned the girl's face and stuck bandaids here and there. When Lani was done it looked as if she were sent out to model the product. Little strips of orange splayed across her face like she had some tropical disease. Aries assured that he was fine, and that he "only had a few scratches here and there".

But when Ava got to me there was no denying that I needed help, _fast_.

* * *

**Yeah, I know. A terribly awful filler with no real meaning and it was going way to fast and blah blah blah. I'm having a bad day. I'm sorry for the stupid excuse and the disappointing chapper.**

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	16. I'm In Love, Doctor

**Ch.16:I'm In Love, Doctor**

_Rebel's P.O.V._

"Rebel, I thought you just got blood on yourself from the fight," Ava said quickly, looking at my arm.

"I wish." I sighed, knowing that my bird-kid miracle healing crap was already kicking in. The blood loss was slowing.

Ava immediately began working around me, filling the bathtub to the brim with clean water and pulling out countless bandages.

"Take off your clothes," She ordered, staring at me.

It was like my IQ level just dropped to -7.

"Uh...you want me to take this off...?" I asked, pointing at my stained t-shirt like a moron. Ava nodded and I pulled off my shirt, staring at her.

"Reb, your pants." She waved her hands in front of my face to get my attention. I couldn't help the fact that I was staring blankly at the wall.

"Oh..." I whispered, pulling them down and tossing them aside. At least I was smart enough to take off my combat boots first.

"Sit on the edge of the tub," Ava continued.

I was the color of a stop sign by now. How was she not blushing?! I eased myself down, looking up at her. I was half freaking naked. Just my day. Just my darn perfect life.

"Your turn," I tried, lightening the mood slightly.

"You're a real pervert." She gave a light laugh before she dipped a wash cloth in the tub.

I watched, biting my lip as she began wiping the blood off my arm. She was really focused. I tried to look into her eyes, but her attention was glued to my injuries. I settled with gazing at her face. Yes, that sounds creepy, and yes, it looked creepy, but she was bending over me so I _made sure _to stare at _only _her face.

Meanwhile, she had wiped my entire arm down and went to dip the wash cloth again.

"This is going to need stitches," Ava whispered, narrowing her eyes at the cut.

"No it doesn't."

She smirked, ruffling my dirtied hair. Her smile went sour. "I'm going to have to give you a bath."

Thank you hair. A girl finally runs a hand through my hair, not in a hint to use me, and you go and screw it up. The _one day_ I should've showered.

"I'm eighteen. I can clean myself. I'm not in the retirement home yet," I grumbled, reaching for my clothes.

"Rebel would you stop moving that arm!" She snapped, now wiping the blood off my nicked leg.

I sat still, rigidly looking down at her.

"How'd you get so lucky? It only grazed," Ava mumbled.

"It still hurts."

"Yeah, I got that by your constant flinching." She took my hurt hand and poured cleaning alcohol over it.

"I'm not-OW!"

"Shh! You'll wake the others. Now how did you get blood on your chest? And hair?" She wet the wash cloth again, wiping it gently across my chest.

"I think I can do that myself," I grumbled, jerking it from her hand.

"Fine. Go right ahead. I'll go check on Beth." Ava rolled her eyes and walked out, leaving my aching self here to attempt in moving.

I reached back, attempting to angrily plunge it in the water. My arm said different, immediately sending a sharp pain through my body. I recoiled, gasping slightly at the feeling. I couldn't use my other hand because it was already wrapped and I wasn't supposed to get it wet. How in the living heck am I expected to do this?!

'You _expected_ yourself to do it,' a female voice sounded in my head.

Holy piece of shimmering crap, what was that?! No, it wasn't my inner do-good thoughts, and I wasn't talking to myself, so...

'It's Angel,' the voice continued.

"Please, God, I'm not ready to go!" I wailed.

'Not _an_ angel, just Angel. As in the mind reader...'

'Oh,' I thought back, 'Sorry. I'm feeling a little lightheaded.'

'I know. I heard about what happened.'

'So why aren't you down here saving us?!' I thundered, 'Or did you plan this? Traitor!'

'Rebel, calm down. I didn't know the H.R.S.C. was even near there! It's not wise to point fingers where shame isn't due,' Angel hissed.

'Yeah, well getting on a hijacked plane and being whipped isn't too peachy itself!' I thought with a snide.

'How are you all, Rebel?' That question calmed me down quite a bit. A sigh escaped my mouth. It showed my distress and tire, and Angel picked up on it. 'What happened? Who's with you?'

I paused a moment. I hadn't thought to even ask who didn't make it with the others. Maybe that was because I already knew they were dead.

'We lost Tigger and Capricorn on the way out. We're about to add Bethany to that list. It's just me, Ava, Aries, Lani, and the little one.'

The mind reader cursed slightly. 'Peter and Krystal are missing also.'

'They're dead,' I replied simply. It was a fact, in my mind. I heard two bodies hit the ground. Peter was a Bareback. He wouldn't have any possible way to get out of there if he did make it. Krystal must have been shot out of the air. It was like we were just a tiny group of birds, and the H.R.S.C. was out pigeon hurting, picking us off one by one.

'You don't know that,' Angel sent after a while.

'No one could have gotten out of there. I'm surprised that we've only lost three-'

'Two,' Angel corrected, 'We are _not_ loosing Bethany.'

'I think it might already be too late.'

'Where are you? I already have some CSM agents dispatched to find you.'

I revealed our location to her, thinking it would be days before we got out of here, but Angel surprised me with only a few hours.

But, in actuality, that was three more hours Bethany had to struggle to live, and fight to breathe. She could bleed out by then, or her heart may choose to stop beating. Beth was already weak from the concision she overcame on Christmas. Her statistics weren't really showing a guaranteed survival. Angel was gone and we were left waiting, holding our breath.

I finished cleaning the blood off me. It was a pretty painful process. Lets just say, when all was said and done I needed an Advil, or Tylenol. Whichever helps with pain would probably be best. I wasn't really used to the feeling. Usually when I got hurt really bad I was too drunk to feel it. A dull throbbing pain couldn't hold me back, but this sharp, teeth-grinding alert my body sent me was different; it was slowing me.

"Mom always told us that pain was just a message," Ava said from behind me.

"Max doesn't know pain then. She always got off lucky, flying away from everything without a care in the world." I admit, that was a little harsh.

"You didn't grow up being poked and prodded!"

"I experienced it for a couple months. It's not as bad as she makes it sound." I shrugged.

"My mother is a hero!" Ava defended, her voice rising.

"When she was younger, yes. Not now. When she became an adult she never fought again. Heck, it all stopped for her when she was sixteen. Bethany. The girl is practically a baby. Maximum never had to fight against death at that age, I'm sure," I argued.

"Mom is a hero. She's in every history book. You're just mad because you have no recognition. Oh, here's your blue ribbon Rebel for tying your shoe! Congratulations!" Ava cried sarcastically.

"Here's the difference," I explained, "When they went after your mom they at least wanted her alive. We have no hope. If we get caught there is no later escape. Get it? The minute they spot us we are dead."

"It's a new age," Ava said simply.

"We're a dying race."

•••

"Ow! That stings!" I cried, flinching as Ava pulled the needle through once more.

"Calm it, you baby. I'm almost done."

Im being sewn up like a stuffed animal! I have the right to scream a little.

"And…done!" Ava announced, marveling at my arm.

"I'm glad." I pouted slightly, rubbing at it.

"Why did you stay, Reb?" Ava asked in her serious tone. I was a little shocked. Was she implying that I was so shellfish as to leave my family for dead?

"Why wouldn't I?" Raising an eyebrow, I glanced up at her.

"You have wings. You could've gotten away. I know you, Rebel. I know that three weeks ago you would have turned your back and flew off without another thought. What stopped you?" Ava grabbed my hand, trying not to meet my eyes. Her thumbs slowly caressed over the bandage.

"Im not that ruthless!" I snapped, gritting my teeth. "I wouldn't have done that. I wasn't that bad!"

"Yes you were. The old you would have turned around and went on, grumbling about how we couldn't fend for ourselves. Tell me why you stayed with us."

She was without emotion. Here I was bubbling with anger, which I'm sure she could feel, and she was freaking monotone with me. Dang her self control!

"You," I answered in a whisper. Now that knocked her off her all mightily emotionless pedestal.

"What?!" Her green eyes flashed up to mine. She squeezed my hand a little too tight. Now it was my turn to be cool and collected.

"I stayed because of you."

"I'm not a baby you know-"

"I got that. I didn't choose to remain with you guys because I wanted to protect you. Don't get me wrong, I do want to keep you guys safe. I even told myself that that was why I was coming, but I really wanted to be with you..."

"Because?" Ava pressed on.

I opened my mouth, but Aries shouting about vans pulling up interrupted me. The two of us rushed from the bathroom, pressing our faces to the window.

"Is it the Collation?" Lani asked.

"No. They have guns." Aries shook his head.

Another set of vehicles pulled up.

"_That's_ the CSM," Ava pointed out.

"This should get interesting."

* * *

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	17. UP FOR ADOPTION AN!

**Do to my, apparently, too busy schedule I am forced to quit fanfiction. **

**I am truly sorry to all my fans and reviewers out there. **

**This story, or series, is now up for adoption. **

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